W

ABB 4 | 15

review
en

Advanced control for wind turbines 18

Transmission technologies for integration 29
Increasing grid capacity 34
Meeting grid code requirements 50 The corporate
technical journal

Integrating
renewables
 Balancing variable supply and demand has always been a
challenge, but as the renewables share of total generation in
many countries is growing, this challenge is also increasing.
In response to this, ABB supports its customers along the
complete power value chain, from consulting, generation and
connection to transmission, monitoring and control, as well as
maintenance and optimization.

2 ABB review 4|15

Contents

Renewables 6 Capital questions

Why the future of renewables depends on the costs of
capital and other questions around renewable energy

13 Symphony orchestrates
Symphony Plus automation delivers flexibility and
optimization for conventional and renewable power plants

18 Changing wind
New technologies for wind-turbine and wind-farm control

24 Virtual reality
ABBs central control and optimization system enables
cost-effective virtual power plant operation

29 Potential improvement
Transmission technologies to support the integration of
renewable energy

34 Regulating lifes ups and downs

Increasing grid capacity to connect renewable energies

43 Energy storage
The benefits beyond the integration of renewables

50 Consulting the grid code

ABB and its power consulting experts are helping networks
integrate renewables and meet grid code requirements

Taming
57 Balance the swing
Real-time monitoring and elimination of inter-area oscillations
in large interconnected power systems

the power
Efficient
62 Absolut zero invasion
Noninvasive temperature measurement keeps things tight

production 68 Optimizing energy flows

Improving energy efficiency in steelmaking by modeling and
managing energy flows with ABBs cpmPlus Energy Manager

Index 74 2015 index

The year at a glance

Contents 3
 Editorial
Integrating renewables
Dear Reader,
The last decade has witnessed a remarkable
transformation in renewable energy. Once
experimental and idealistic ways of generat-
ing power have been transformed beyond
recognition and now not only account for
a notable share of the overall generating
balance but are able to compete economi-
cally in the energy market.
Support of renewables is an important
element of ABBs pledge (as expressed by
Claes Rytoft the companys CEO, Ulrich Spiesshofer) to
help run the world without consuming the
Earth. In our view, the future growth of
renewables rests on two main pillars.
The first of these is cost effectiveness.
If renewables are to expand further, they
need to continue to attract capital, and this
means investors must see competitive
returns. Offering an attractive economical
proposition is not just about optimizing the
price tag of the initial purchase, but means
looking at total costs over the life cycle of
equipment and systems. This includes
aspects such as service, reliability and
avoiding unscheduled downtime.
The second pillar is the integration of this
renewable energy into the grid. The grid must
cope with intermittent if not unpredictable
sources of generation, and must also (espe-
cially in the case of wind) transmit energy
from regions in which the transmission grid
is not traditionally prepared for such amounts
of energy. ABB is very much at home in
the area of grid integration: It can draw on
well over 100 years of experience in develop-
ing and improving transmission and distribu-
tion grids.
4 ABB review 4|15
This issue of ABB Review includes articles
addressing both of these pillars. The lead
article is an interview with Gerard Reid,
founding partner of Alexa Capital, in which he
discusses the future growth of renewables
and ongoing challenges, especially in relation
to capital and regulatory aspects.
In the area of supporting the production of
renewable energy, we look at control and
optimization aspects in generation. The
strengthening of grid capacity as well as
energy storage solutions and grid codes
are also covered.
Moving away from fields strictly and directly
connected to renewables, but with broad
implications nevertheless, this edition of
ABB Review continues its Taming the power
series on mastering oscillations by addressing
inter-area oscillations in power grids. We
also look at noninvasive measurements in
a vodka distillery and modeling energy flows
in steelmaking.
On a personal note, as my tenure as Chief
Technology Officer comes to an end, I would
like to thank you for being loyal readers and
supporters of ABB Review. May this continue
for years to come!
Enjoy your reading.
Claes Rytoft
Chief Technology Officer and
Senior Vice President
ABB Group
Editorial 5
Capital questions
Why the future of renew- Gerard Reid, founding partner of Alexa Capital, and Jochen
Kreusel, head of ABB Smart Grids Industry Sector Initiative,
ables depends on the discuss renewables and new business models in the energy

costs of capital and other sector in an interview with ABB Review.

questions around renew-

able energy
6 ABB review 4|15
 1 Annual renewables capacity addition by technology (20012014)

140 70

Renewables power capacity additions (GW)

Share of power capacity additions (%)

120 60

100 50

80 40
Share of renewables in
capacity additions
60 30

40 20

20 10

0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Hydropower Solar photovoltaic Concentrated solar power

Bioenergy Wind Geothermal Ocean

Source: IRENA, REthinking Report 2014

ABB Review (AR): The renewables
transformation is advancing at dizzying
speeds 1. What are the drivers of this
development?
Gerard Reid (GR): We really wouldnt be
seeing renewables rolled out across the
world without a government mandate.
Particularly in Europe this has been the
major driver 2.
There are two other important factors.
One of them is cost. Weve seen very
rapid reductions in costs, especially in
solar but also in wind. Renewables are
rapidly becoming too cheap to ignore 3.
The other factor is strategic advances in
technology. And I dont mean just the
renewable technologies themselves, but
how they are integrated into the system.
Ten years ago most people in Germany
would have said that it would be impos-
sible to integrate 10 percent of renew-
ables today they are at 30 percent. In
my own country, Ireland, its 25 percent. of legislation on pollution and emissions.
Those drivers are going to remain, but
their balance will shift. I think we will be
seeing a move away from the importance
of the government mandate and toward
costs and technology.
Jochen Kreusel (JK): And both technol-
ogy and the cost of that technology is
where industry is flexing its muscles. Elec-
tricity demand is growing rapidly and CO2
emissions have to
be reduced. These
two countertrends
can really only be
addressed by tech-
nology front-end
renewable technol-
ogy per se and the
associated technol-
ogy that supports
it. In-depth knowl-
edge of renewable
power generation
technologies and experience installing
these around the world are required to
serve the renewable energy industry. This
comprehensive approach will become
ever more significant as the renewable
business continues its rapid evolution.
AR: Where is the government mandate
coming from? Environmental concerns?
GR: Yes. If you take the case of Europe,
there would never have been such a
massive build-out of renewables without
a green movement that pushed in terms
AR: With the new technology becoming
so affordable, do we still need continued
government support in Europe?
GR: Yes. The power markets as we know
them are broken. No generation of any
type can be built without some form of
very clear regulation in place. The reason
is that, in Europe, you are not going to
get your capital expenditure back, ex-
cept maybe in the United Kingdom.
We really wouldnt be seeing
renewables rolled out across
the world without a govern-
ment mandate. Particularly
in Europe this has been the
major driver.
Without that return, there is going to be
no investment in power generation. This
is why renewables and energy in gen-
eral will need a support or market
mechanism.
From the power-market perspective,
there is a new phenomenon that renew-
ables have brought about, namely that
they have zero marginal costs. They
dont have fuel costs and the running
costs are very low. A gas- or a coal-pow-
ered station needs fuel for every kWh
generated and needs a lot of people to
make sure that the power station just
keeps working. With renewables you
have the exact opposite. If a utility has a
whole range of power generation assets
available, when it has to decide what its
going to take as part of its generation
mix, its likely to use the renewables pref-
erentially based on the variable costs.
As we keep putting more renewables on

Capital questions 7
 Government man-
dates, cost and
strategic technol-
ogy advances
are driving the
advancement of
renewables.
the grid, eventually what will happen is
that the wholesale price of power will
tend toward zero.
That can be seen in particular in Germa-
ny. The German power prices are at
30 to 35 euros/MWh (about $33 to
$39/MWh). Nobody will build conven-
tional generation at those prices because
they cant recover the variable cost, let
alone the investment cost. And thats the
big opportunity that renewables have
brought to the market.
JK: ABB sees a large part of the renew-
able cost equation and the power mar-
kets issue being addressed by products
that make the integration of large
amounts of renewable power into the
grid cost-effective and straightforward.
Im thinking here about automation and
control systems for flexible power gen-
eration, HVDC, FACTS and a whole host
of other enabling technologies on one
side and a market design giving flexibility
and dispatchability at an adequate price
on the other.
AR: You say the variable costs are going
toward zero, but what about the fixed
costs?
GR: In terms of CAPEX, people might say
the costs of solar are $1 million/MW and
say the figure for gas is about the same,
and so assume they are at parity. But
thats not true because what you really
have to look at is the CAPEX per MWh. If
a gas generator is going to run 60 per-
8 ABB review 4|15
2 Renewables power subsidies by source in the top 15 subsidy-supplying countries
Germany
United States
Italy
Spain
China
Japan
United Kingdom
France
India
Belgium
Greece
Netherlands
Austria
Portugal
Denmark
5 10
Solar Wind
photovoltaic
Source: International Energy Agency (IEA), WEO 2014
cent of the time and a solar park is going
to run 15 percent of the time, the CAPEX
cost per unit generated is going to be
four times higher for the solar park. If we
want to get renewables onto the system,
we have to get the cost of capital down.
Capital costs are going to be determinant
in getting renewables onto the grid.
This can have different implications
across regions. For example, the cost of
capital in India is almost twice as high as
in Germany. However, as India has nearly
twice as much sun, the cost of electricity
production is more or less the same in
both countries.
Weve never had this scenario with con-
ventional generation because we recov-
ered CAPEX through the power price,
and the power price was determined by
the marginal cost. So if fuel costs went
up, they went up for everybody, and so
the power price went up.
With renewables, we dont live in that
world anymore. Based on the low mar-
ginal costs of renewables, a utility or pow-
er producer can offer consumers a power
purchase agreement with a set price for
the next 20 years. No utility would do this
with gas or coal. However, with competi-
tion in the market, a consumer can switch
suppliers quickly, and thus sign only short-
term contracts. This does not align to re-
newables as investors need the security of
power prices to recover the capital costs.
This requires a fundamental change in the
way we look at power markets.
15 20 25
Billion dollars (2013)
Bioenergy Geothermal Concentrated
solar power
AR: How must the power market be
reformed to support this different way of
looking at things?
GR: I think that the best way to do it is to
allow the power price to determine ev-
erything. Rather than 15-minute pricing
we will need one-minute prices. If you
price on a minute basis you get a lot of
volatility in the power price, but that
would mean power suppliers can recover
their cost through that volatility.
JK: In my opinion, this approach may in-
deed help to give incentives for demand
response or other dispatchable types of
generation, but I do not see how this will
help the renewables. The reason behind
the current market mechanism in which
the power price is determined by the
marginal cost is that it delivers the lowest
operational cost to run a given group of
power plants. The task of particularly spot
markets is to determine the optimal load
dispatch. This task is becoming obsolete
in a system with zero marginal cost.
Therefore, short-term markets will not be
an adequate tool anymore. We already
see different market approaches in other
fixed-cost dominated markets, such as
telecommunications. We see flat rates and
incentives to sign longer-term contracts
admittedly two rather than 20 years. In
this case, competition is indeed strongly
determined by the cost of capital.
GR: Another approach to the market is
that you give a regulated return to the
owners of renewable assets, which in
3 Historical and projected typical solar PV investment costs at the beginning of the year
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
$/kW (2013)
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
2010 2012 2014 2016
Utility ground-mounted
Australia China
Source: International Energy Agency (IEA), Renewable Energy Medium Term Market Report 2014
some cases is happening already. But one
way or the other, radical changes are re-
quired. Recent attempts at reforming the
market have just been about tinkering. We
need far more radical restructuring.
AR: We have talked about solar. What
about other renewables?
GR: For me, solar is a revolution and
wind is not its an evolution. Weve had
wind for the last 50 years and it has got
steadily better and better and its very
clear that it is and will remain part of our
energy system. In Ireland were produc-
ing electricity below the wholesale power
price, so it is a game changer.
The biggest problem we have with wind
is that it is not easy to predict. Even in
a country like Germany where power
traders are trying to predict it on a daily
basis, they rarely get it right. Solar is
much easier to predict. In addition, what
makes solar so attractive is its flexibility.
You can put it in your calculator, you can
put it on your roof, you can build a big
plant, and its quick to install. It doesnt
have the same visual or spatial impact as
a wind turbine, and its installation doesnt
face the same level of opposition. Weve
never had a technology like solar where
you can do something so locally, cheap-
ly, quickly and effectively.
Other renewables such as biomass, geo-
thermal and wave are all evolutionary
technologies. Please dont get me wrong,
theyre all great, but theyre not revolu-
2018 2020 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
Commercial rooftop Residential rooftop
Germany Italy Japan United States Global reference
tionary in the same way as solar. Ten
years ago the global market for solar was Both in technology
1 GW. This year its projected to be at least
50 GW. Looking at the cost roadmaps of and in the cost of
companies in the future, I see cost reduc-
tions of another 40 percent over the next
that technology is
five years. Meanwhile, for wind I only see where industry is
a cost reduction potential of maybe
5percent a year, but not 10 percent. flexing its muscles.
AR: So lower costs in solar mean it will
continue to lead in terms of growth in re-
newables. What effects do you foresee
for other renewables?
GR: There is only so much feed-in tariff
money to go around and the majority of it
is going into solar. Solar was able to add
7 GW of new capacity every year in Ger-
many for three years in a row. Wind
wasnt able to match that. I think wind
has a huge role to play in generation, but
I also think solar is competing against
offshore wind at the level of investment
capital. Why? The costs of offshore wind
havent come down. On the contrary,
theyve gone the opposite way.
JK: I do agree that solar power has revo-
lutionized the power generation land-
scape, bringing new opportunities, but
also challenges especially to the power
distribution system. However, I think we
should not undermine the huge potential
wind power still has to offer. Wind power
has become the least-cost option for
new power generation capacity in many
countries and new markets in Asia, Africa
and Latin America have continued to
Capital questions 9

In-depth knowl-
edge of renewable
power generation
technologies and
experience install-
ing these around
the world are
required to serve
the renewable
e nergy industry.
1 0 ABB review 4|15
emerge during the last year. In addition, if
we take for instance the findings of the
IEA World Energy Outlook 2014, we can
expect the global installed wind power
capacity to triple by 2040. Therefore,
I believe that further interesting develop-
ments in this field will continue.
AR: Who is or should be putting up the
money for new renewables capacity?
Will the traditional incumbents defend
their market dominance and take the
lead, or will new investors move in and
gradually take over the market?
GR: Lets look at the telecoms space.
We actually still have all the old incum-
bents: British Telecom, Deutsche Tele-
kom, etc. Some of them have merged,
some have changed their names, but
theyre still there. But we also have a
whole pile of new companies that came
into being. The problem the incumbents
have is that after 100 years of doing the
same thing, they may face a challenge in
adapting to the sudden revolution.
JK: If you look at the telecoms compa-
nies as you say, the old ones are still
there, but much of the money in value-
added telecommunication-based servic-
es is being made by new players. The
incumbents are still providers of the com-
moditized infrastructure, but the money
is being made by the users of that infra-
structure, or in one prominent case, by a
device manufactur-
er. Do you expect
there to be a simi- From the power-market per-
lar development in
the power market? spective, there is a new phe-
GR: I think its a
nomenon that renewables have
good analogy. An- brought about, namely that
other analogy that I
see is the automo- they have zero marginal costs.
bile industry, which
is going through big changes as it elec-
trifies and is thus bringing itself closer to
the utilities. One of the main reasons for
this is that the costs of batteries is going
down. Looking at automobile manufac-
turers, I ask myself, what they will be in
10 years time. I think some of them will
be service companies. Some might use
the automobile as a platform, but will be
providing energy services and a whole
range of other services into them. This is
why I think that the players they should
be watching out for are the likes of Apple
and Google. After what these companies
have done to the telecoms space, they
are now looking at the automobile and
electricity space and seeing its also
all about data. They can say, We are
already in the data space and we are
already in the home. Lets go and run the
electric vehicle, install the solar panel
and connect them all together.
So in the future its not just going to be
about the power market but the power
market will be interconnected with these
other spaces in a convergence of two if
not three industries.
AR: So if the photovoltaic panel and the
battery of the future are going to be com-
modities, where is the added value in the
renewables market?
GR: I agree that the solar panel is going
to be a commodity. I do question though,
whether the battery is going to be a
commodity. Theres a huge complexity
around the battery, and there is real intel-
lectual property in it. In addition, with all
second-life batteries being dumped into
the stationary power market, the entire
storage scenario is going to change.
JK: I dont think that second-life batteries
are going to have a big impact on power
markets as long as battery prices continue
to come down at the present rate, making
new batteries with higher performance
cheaper than used ones. I think grid-side
battery storage will use purpose-manu-
factured rather than pre-owned batteries.
GR: We will probably not see second-life
batteries used for critical applications
such as the primary reserve market, but I
am convinced we will see them being
used in our homes and our businesses.
The key advantage for the battery manu-
facturers is they get to delay the recy-
cling of the batteries and they can gener-
ate more money using them. And as it
now stands today second-life batteries
are half the price of new batteries.
AR: Wont the technology differentiation
flatten out at some point as the technol-
ogy approaches an optimum, driving
batteries into the commodity corner?
GR: Yes. But lets look at the TV busi-
ness. I think there are now three global
TV manufacturers. At some point they
got so big that nobody else could com-
pete and enter the market. I think the
same is going to happen in batteries and
thats to some extent how manufacturers
can protect themselves against commod-
itization a little bit. In contrast, in photo-
voltaic panels there are about 40 manu-
facturers around the world all competing
with more or less the same product
and thats leading to commoditization.
The real value is in managing the com-
plexity and integrating it into something
the customer wants. The differentiation
is in the software and the service.
JK: Talking about commoditization with
respect to your example of the TV indus-
try, consolidation could actually de-com-
moditize that industry. This could simi-
larly happen to the photovoltaic panel
manufacturers.
GR: We may eventually see consolida-
tion in the solar market as we have seen
in TVs but I dont think this will happen
until the global growth for solar slows,
and I think we are probably five to 10
years away from seeing peak annual in-
stallations for solar.
AR: The newcomer companies are best
known for their ability to redefine the
market with disruptive technologies. Can
you say something about disruptive
technologies in the energy sector?
GR: Lets not talk just about disruptive
technologies but about disruptive tech-
nologies and business models. If we look
at the so-called disruptive businesses that
are out there, what they really are is a mix-
ture of technology and business model.
If your customers have a battery in their
car, you can aggregate those batteries
and use them to trade in the power mar-
ket. The idea might sound crazy, but it
makes sense from the battery manufac-
turers or automobile makers point of view.
He wants to make sure that the charging
of that battery is controlled. He wants to
control the charging by giving you a ser-
vice package. So he could say, Here is a
Gerard Reid
flat rate for your battery, you can plug it in
wherever you want and it will cost you,
say, $35 per month. He has all the data
about you: He knows where you are. He
realizes youre in the airport and are going
to be in France for two days. So he takes
that battery, aggregates it across a coun-
try, and participates in the power market.
That is a revolution. And manufacturers
and consumers will sign up to this agree-
ment b ecause it is in their interest.
You are thus going to get customers
signing up for long-term purchase agree-
ments. Many of us do not want to go out
and buy a $500 smartphone but accept
those costs when they are hidden in our
Gerard Reid is a founding partner of Alexa
mobile phone bills. Capital, which delivers corporate advisory,
financing and asset management solutions
JK: Revolutions typically start as evolu- across the energy, energy infrastructure and
energy technology sectors.
tions and at some point gather their own
momentum. The last real revolution we He has spent the last decade working in
had in the energy sector, in my opinion, equity research, fund management and
was the introduction of electricity. I be- corporate finance with a focus on energy and
in particular the revolution he calls the Digital
lieve back then people did not foresee
Energy Revolution. He is also an author,
or imagine how quickly it would catch on energy blogger (www.energyandcarbon.com)
or how ubiquitous it would become and monthly columnist for Biz Energy Today,
with maybe the exception of a very few the German energy industry publication.
v isionary people.
He has also recently been appointed to the
World Economic Forums Global Agenda
GR: I agree, but looking elsewhere in the Council on the Future of Electricity. Prior to
energy sector, looking at oil and gas, we founding Alexa Capital, Gerard Reid was
managing director and head of European
are also seeing a huge revolution in terms
Cleantech Research at Jefferies & Co.
of whats happening with shale gas. Who
would have predicted that the United
States would be the biggest oil and gas
producer in the world? This has not hap-
pened in the energy world for a long time.
Based on the low
marginal costs of
renewables, a utility
or power producer
can offer consum-
ers a power pur-
chase agreement
with a set price for
the next 20 years.
AR: We have talked about the impor-
tance of batteries in mobility, but looking
at e-mobility in the context of renewable
energy, what trends do you foresee?
Capital questions 1 1

I dont think that
second-life batter-
ies are going to
have a big impact
on power markets
as long as battery
prices continue to
come down at the
present rate.
JK: One trend that is already shaping up
is that more and more players are be-
coming active in the e-mobility renew-
able energy chain. This brings its own
challenges, so we have to be sure we
have the right products available and
that we can make it easy and safe for
both the customer and the grid itself to
swiftly adapt and bring in new products
and practices. In other words, increased
flexibility will be a major trend.
GR: My view is that everything is going to
go electric and everything is going to go
digital. The consumers are also beginning
to change their behavior. Young consum-
ers dont need to own the latest top-of-
the-range car. They are quite happy to
actually just rent a car. And this means
they can rent the best car for the job rath-
er than having a one-size-fits-all car.
Ive heard that some car manufacturers
make twice as much money on a car that
they put out to car sharing. Thats im-
pressive in terms of margins but of
course it doesnt help them in terms of
volumes as theyre going to make fewer
cars overall. But its very clear that
theyre moving from thinking in terms of
ownership models to service models.
This is a very courageous strategy, but in
a revolution you need to be brave. You
cannot predict the future but you can try
to shape it.
AR: As new service models come online,
larger and larger amounts of data will
need to be collected and exchanged.
Placing a device online also means mak-
ing it potentially vulnerable to cyber at-
tacks. If you hack into a home or building
automation system, you can essentially
1 2 ABB review 4|15
control the house or factory. How are we
going to mitigate these aspects?
GR: The electricity company is going to
need to know what Im doing in the
home. Of course there are privacy issues
coming out of this. But look at the
amount of data Google collects, and yet
most people simply dont care.
Cyber security is not an enormous issue
yet, but its going to become one. The
power world has not needed a lot of soft-
ware until now, but this is changing. So
there is a threat not just for utilities and
customers but also for hardware produc-
ers. However, I dont think the move to-
ward digitalization is going to stop, but
obviously security is going to become a
much bigger challenge.
AR: We have talked a lot about the
m arket situation and services, but at the
b eginning of this interview you also men-
tioned that technological advances for
system integration are a main factor
in enabling the further deployment of
renewables. How do you see the impact
of such technologies on the develop-
ment of the future power grid?
GR: I think there is a tradeoff of sorts be-
tween the grid and storage. With more
and more batteries on the distribution-
level grid, the grid itself will be relieved of
peak situations peak referring both to
load and feed-in. Storage is thus emerg-
ing as an alternative to transmission. To
return to our telecoms analogy: The
fixed-line telecom network although
still important is no longer the ubiqui-
tous backbone it once was.
JK: I think there is an important differ-
ence, namely that the mobile networks
have in part replaced the functionality of
fixed lines in a one-on-one manner. In
the power grid, there is the challenge of
providing electricity in regions with strong
seasonal variations. For example, winter
in the northern hemisphere. Batteries
can shift the load within the day, but you
cannot shift loads over months in an
economical manner using batteries.
I see only two ways to deal with that.
One is to not go beyond, say, 50 percent
renewables. The other is to connect
regions with transmission. Areas with the
best wind and solar resources are often
situated in remote locations. Tapping into
these resources will require efficient ways
to transport a large amount of power to
the consumption centers. Power trans-
mission interconnections need to be
enhanced to facilitate optimum utilization
of renewables and balancing of loads.
GR: Fair enough. Nevertheless, I see the
main need for investment in the distribu-
tion grid. We are blind in the distribution
grid. And this is where most of the
changes are going to take place.
I also think were going to see flexibiliza-
tion on the demand side. The utilities are
going to use cost-driven models to sell
electricity to consumers. I know this is
already happening with commercial cus-
tomers, or in the home sector if you are
using electric storage heaters. You give
the customer the opportunity to buy at
the cheapest price.
AR: Thank you, gentlemen, for this very
interesting and valuable discussion. ABB
Review runs regular articles on renew-
ables technologies, so it is good to
extend our scope and hear about the
business model and capital investment
implications too. Even just driving around
you can see how dramatically the major
renewable businesses both solar and
wind are surging and how important
they are becoming. We are all aware too,
of course, of the climate-driven necessity
for change. It is obvious that, as direct
government supports ebbs, the contri-
bution of the private sector will become
ever more important and that flexibility and
nimbleness will become key attributes.
It has become apparent, too, just how
important the balance between capital
costs and marginal costs is, and the im-
plications this has for the directions of
future technology development.
At the moment, ABB supports custom-
ers along the complete power value
chain to plan, generate, connect, trans-
mit, monitor and control power from
renewable installations as well as to
maintain and optimize their systems, and
it is clear from our discussion that all
these areas of technology are critical to
the future of renewable energy.
This interview was conducted by Andreas Moglestue,
chief editor of ABB Review. Please direct inquiries to
Norma Guentert, communications manager for ABB
Smart Grids and Wind Power Industry Sector Initia-
tives: norma.guentert@ch.abb.com
Symphony
orchestrates
Symphony Plus ADRIAN TIMBUS, MARK BITTO The power output variability of renewable
power generators challenges not only renewable plant operators but
automation delivers also conventional plant operators, who have to be flexible in their
response to changing load conditions caused by that variability. Modern
flexibility and optimi- control systems for power plants must, therefore, be able to deal with a

zation for conven- greater number of activities and a higher volume of information than
traditional control systems as well as comply with strict national grid
tional and renewable codes. They must also achieve total plant automation by providing a
system platform that improves efficiency, productivity and operations.
power plants Further, when used as remote management systems, they need to
optimize multiple power plants.

Symphony orchestrates 1 3

T
he fluctuating and intermittent
nature of renewable energy
plants such as wind farms and
solar power arrays exporting
their energy to the grid increases the chal-
lenge of achieving greater cost efficiency,
improved environmental compatibility, and
better and more flexible plant operation.
The variability of renewable power gener-
ators also creates demands on conven-
tional plants, which have to be flexible in
their response to changing load condi-
tions caused by that variability. The ability
to respond quickly and cost-effectively
to rapidly changing load requirements is
crucial for power generators.
Todays power plant control systems
must be able, therefore, to deal with a
greater number of variables and activi-
ties, and a higher volume and complexity
of information than is the case with the
control systems of traditional plants. Nat-
urally, they still also have to comply with
the strict requirements of national grid
Title picture
The viability of a modern, complex power plant
depends on a sophisticated and capable control
system. ABBs Symphony Plus is the newest
generation of ABBs total plant automation for the
power and water industries. How does it help
power plant operators run their plants in the most
efficient and cost-effective way?
1 4 ABB review 4|15
1 Featuring modular DIN rail packaging, the SD Series is the newest addition to ABBs
Symphony Plus S+ Control and I/O family.
codes. Further, when used as remote
management systems, these control sys-
tems need to optimize the operation and
production from multiple power plants.
In other words, the new generation of
control systems must achieve complete
plant automation by providing a system
Todays power plant control
systems must be able to deal
with a greater number of vari-
ables and activities, and a high-
er volume and complexity of
information than was the case
with the control systems of
traditional plants.
platform that increases energy efficiency,
improves engineering productivity, and
supports a more effective, flexible and
reliable plant operation with an enhanced
energy and maintenance management
strategy. The remote monitoring of pro-
cess information in real time is another
important prerequisite for economical
and operational stability.
Modern control system requirements
Modern control systems require system
architecture flexibility to meet the diverse
configurations of todays power plants.
While traditional fossil-fuel-fired or com-
bined-cycle power plants are configured
as central block architectures, renew-
able plants require the automation sys-
tem to coordinate control of hundreds
or thousands of smaller control units,
such as those of wind turbines, solar
trackers, remote terminal units or pipe-
line sensors, that
are geographically
distributed over a
very wide area. All
of these units need
to be brought into
a common opera-
tions hierarchy to
provide better visi-
bility and control of
the entire plant or
network.
Control systems,
such as ABBs
Symphony Plus
automation system, adopt a future-
oriented process control concept com-
prising high-performance technologies,
methods and tools that link autonomous
systems together and produce total
plant automation with increased func-
tionality and reliability. Smaller equip-
ment size, lower power consumption for
on-site services and the ability to oper-
ate effectively in extreme and d
emanding
environmental conditions are fundamen-
tal requirements. Improved avail-ability,
reliability, redundancy, remote monitoring
and communication are all also essential.
2 Functional overview of Symphony Plus capabilities
When used as re-
mote management
Engineering Operator
Enterprise
and trade
systems, modern
control systems
workplace(s) workplace(s) applications
Operator interface,
engineering and

need to optimize
Router/
System information
firewall
server management

the operation and

Router/
firewall
System
network
production from
multiple power
Controller Controller
Control

Process I/O Process I/O IED IED plants.

I/O,
field interface
Instrumentation
Process I/O and electrical
Instrumentation actuator
integration
actuator

Integration of the industrys latest com-
munication standards into modern con-
trol systems allows more information to
be available than in traditional solutions.
Innovative and intelligent technology en-
sures that information is seamlessly dis-
tributed and provided in a role-based
context to control room operators, main-
tenance engineers, plant optimization
engineers and plant managers via a
common system environment. The ability
of the control system to capture more
data and transform that into contextual
information through a high-performance
human-machine interface (HMI) leads to
greater awareness, faster response and,
ultimately, better decisions.
Historically, process systems and sub-
station automation systems have been
segregated and have not been able to
communicate easily with each other.
Making data available from the individual
electrical elements instrumentation,
and low-voltage, medium-voltage and
high-voltage systems to process con-
trol systems has been problematic and
costly, with each system communicating
via different protocols and parallel cabling.
To obtain higher levels of availability, op-
erator visibility and operational reliability,
the integration of the process and sub-
station automation systems is essential.
Symphony Plus
ABBs Symphony Plus is the latest gen-
eration of the Symphony family distribut-
ed control system (DCS), developed to
meet the unique and demanding require-
ments of the power generation and w ater
industries.
Symphony Plus provides easy and flexi-
ble data access in order to facilitate op-
erational decisions. S+ Operations, the
systems versatile HMI, provides the user
with intuitive process overview displays
designed to overcome system naviga-
tional problems associated with autono-
mous control systems. Using high-per-
formance graphics, operators have
direct access to easy-to-use displays,
clearly illustrated trend data, alarms and
events monitoring (complying with the
EEMUA 191 guidelines), and various
reports that can be used to optimize
system performance.
Centralized, consolidated operations are
made possible through the integration of
industry standard communication proto-
cols such as IEC 61850, IEC 60870-
5/101/103/104, OPC and Modbus TCP.
Use of these standards allows for greater
and more reliable access to plant data in
a way that is less costly than custom
interfaces and hardwired connections.
A common operations environment and
consolidated alarms and events lead
operators to better abnormal situational
awareness and overall effectiveness. For
service engineers, maintenance sched-
ules are optimized through the timely re-
porting of condition-based and predictive
asset performance degradation, thus pre-
venting unexpected and costly downtime.

Symphony orchestrates 1 5

Renewable plants
require the auto-
mation system to
coordinate control
of hundreds or
thousands of
smaller control
units that are geo-
graphically distrib-
uted over a very
wide area.
1 6 ABB review 4|15
Design and maintenance of the entire
plant automation system are performed
through a unified engineering workbench
environment. Efficient engineering, con-
figuration, administration, security, com-
missioning and maintenance of any sys-
tem device from a field and electrical
device to control, I/O, operator work-
place and communication interface is
performed via the system S+ Engineer-
ing tool. The tool features a multi-user,
distributed engineering environment that
isolates engineering activities from run-
time activities and provides access
based on user function. This is achieved
via simplified user interfaces and work-
flows operating on a common database.
A single point of configuration data entry
provides versioning, documentation and
backup functionality according to local
standards.
Symphony Plus is backwardly compati-
ble with all previous generations of the
Symphony family, which allows seam-
less DCS upgrading and retrofit works
to be carried out, thus maximizing pro-
duction uptime and ensuring the project
will be completed in the most cost-
effec
t ive manner while protecting the
investments made in the installed sys-
tem assets.
SD Series
The Symphony Plus SD Series has been
developed specifically to address the cri-
teria for improved performance and to
meet the requirements of geographically
distributed process applications.
The SD Series uses a set of high-perfor-
mance, scalable process controllers that
support all of a plants control require-
ments, from discrete and continuous to
batch and advanced control applica-
tions 1. Supported by a comprehen-
sive range of I/O options, the SD Series
delivers powerful and versatile automa-
tion solutions for plant applications of all
sizes and types. The common controller
environment executes process control
applications that are both data- and pro-
gram-intensive. Redundancy options are
available at all levels of control, I/O and
communication, resulting in maximum
flexibility and availability.
Using ABBs extensive set of field-proven
standard function code algorithms and
S+ Engineerings graphical design tools to
develop control strategies, S+ Operations
and other applications communicate with
the SD Series control and I/O over a
flexible high-speed, high-throughput and
high-security network. This permits the
integration of field devices, process and
electrical systems, and business enter-
prise systems in a simple, scalable,
secure and sustainable manner 2.
The SD Series controllers integrate intel-
ligent field devices, including transmit-
ters, actuators, motor control centers
and intelligent electronic devices (IEDs).
The use of IEC 61850, IEC 60870-5-104,
Modbus TCP, PROFIBUS DP, and HART
standard protocols results in reduced
wiring and system footprint and, thus,
lower installation costs.
SD Series products have a modular,
high-density design and streamlined ar-
chitecture that reduces control and I/O
hardware requirements and cabinet foot-
print, thus lowering design, installation
and operating costs. With a 20C to
+70C temperature rating and G3 coat-
ing, these products are also designed to
withstand extreme environmental condi-
tions, which makes them ideal for remote
I/O applications such as those found in
renewable power applications.
Significantly higher efficiency means lower
power consumption (SD Series products
use 50 percent less power than typical
DCS and other I/O products), lower heat
dissipation and the elimination of environ-
ment cooling equipment such as cooling
fans, louvers, air filters and purging sys-
tems. This obviates the use of parts that
can negatively affect reliability and pro-
ductivity, reduces the equipment foot-
print and lowers installation costs.
The benefits of electrical integration
By utilizing modern automation systems,
such as Symphony Plus, that fully inte-
grate the industrys latest communica-
tion standards, power plants will achieve
optimized operation through:
The use of only one automation control
system for the entire installation
Smaller and less complex equipment
designs
Shorter engineering, installation and
commissioning periods
Simplified spare parts lists and
associated maintenance activities
Reduced training requirements
Reduced project risk when working
with integrated project teams
3 Overview of Symphony Plus automation solution for remote management of a portfolio of plants

Service and maintenance

Power
management

Set point
for each
Real-time plant
Operator of a plant or monitoring
Market operator portfolio of plants and diagnostics

Remote
management
center

Plant data,
Grid operator alarms,
notifications
Power and
price
forecasting

Optimized life-cycle costs that come
with a future-proof system
Lower energy costs through effective
energy management eg, optimizing
the purchase and generation of
electricity
Optimization of power plant production
Control system optimization has emerged
as the primary solution for the optimi
zation of conventional and renewable
power plant production. Achieving com-
plete automation of power plants with a
single control and I/O platform has be-
come a major focal point in promoting
effective asset performance.
Power plant automation that provides a
common operating platform for the con-
trol of both process and power systems
will allow increased levels of productivity
The entire power plant production is es, improved load balancing and the op-
therefore covered by one optimized pro- timization of a power plants on-site elec-
cess control system. trical production and consumption 3.
Remote monitoring and virtual power Ultimately, ABBs Symphony Plus auto-
plants mation solution ensures that the optimi-
The remote monitoring capabilities of zation of VPP operations is accom-
modern automation systems present plished.
both the operators of individual plants
and those managing energy power plant The article, Virtual Reality, on page 24 of this edition
portfolios with a high level of plant oper- of ABB Review provides a more detailed description
ating visibility providing dynamic deci- of VPPs.
sion-making tools that help operators
optimize power plant availability, detect
any abnormal functionality and ensure that
energy efficiencies are being maintained.
The operator benefits from improved
operation and maintenance regimes, and
a consequent reduction in operating
e xpenditure leads to increased business
profitability.

With greater num-

Design and maintenance of bers of small solar
and wind power
the entire plant automation producers export-

system are performed through ing energy to the

a unified engineering work-
bench environment.
and maximized system uptime to be
achieved. All of the operating information
may be archived in a common database
so that it can be available to any of the
users and plant managers involved
whenever they require access.
grid, there is an in-
creasing need for
the creation of vir-
tual power plants Adrian Timbus
(VPPs) and smart ABB Power Systems, Power Generation
grids. Centralized remote monitoring of Zurich, Switzerland
VPPs allows the energy production from adrian.timbus@ch.abb.com
various geographically remote power
plants to be accumulated and aggregat- Mark Bitto
ed. This permits participation in the pow- ABB Power Systems, Power Generation
er purchase market by VPP operators so Wickliffe, OH, United States
that they may achieve better energy pric- mark.bitto@us.abb.com

Symphony orchestrates 1 7
 Changing
wind
New technologies for wind-turbine and
wind-farm control

ADRIAN TIMBUS Throughout time one of mans greatest aspirations has been
harnessing the power of the wind. However, capturing this raw energy and
transforming it into another energy form has always been a significant
challenge. The modern day example is wind turbines and the utilization of
wind energy to generate electrical power. Effective optimization of wind
farms and independent wind turbines requires innovative, leading-edge
control technologies. Through better monitoring and control ABBs automa-
tion system Symphony Plus for Wind is increasing the value of wind energy.

Title picture
Wind power needs advanced control technologies
to further improve its levelized cost of energy
(LCOE).

1 8 ABB review 4|15

Changing wind 1 9
 Symphony Plus for Wind has been
configured to provide the control
functionality required for grid-code
compliance using bespoke control
libraries implemented in a high-perfor-
mance controller.

the actual operating parameters and
production data that will be used to en-
sure wind-farm production is optimized.
Market requirements
Using extensive experience gained from
Modern control systems and new tech-
nologies have to support the challenges
associated with grid integration and the
contrasting variables in operating param-
eters required for grid-code compliance
worldwide.

A
s the power industry moves
away from subsidized mar-
kets based upon feed-in tar-
iffs and toward greater partici-
pation in the wholesale energy market
and long-term power purchase agree-
ments, todays technologies must en-
hance wind power generation within the
competitive marketplace for renewable
energy.
To do this, new technology is needed to
facilitate optimized grid integration by
improving the performance and reliability
of wind turbine operation and reducing
the cost of generation, and by improving
production forecasting and power pro-
duction management throughout the life
cycle of a wind farm.
Understanding both the harsh environ-
mental conditions in which wind turbines
operate and the overwhelming demands
placed on wind-farm operators is para-
mount to achieving the desired levels of
improvement.
Consequently, modern control systems
and new sensing devices must be devel-
oped to meet the specific and exacting
requirements of the wind-farm opera-
tors. Automation control must have an
intuitive human-machine interface (HMI),
providing operators with timely access to
the successful operation of conventional
power plants, ABB automation control Beyond grid codes
systems can be harmonized for the opti- ABBs automation system for the wind
mized production from wind farms. The industry, Symphony Plus for Wind, has
same supply challenges of flexibility and been configured to provide the control
security of supply must be overcome. By functionality required for grid-code com-
ensuring that power quality is maintained pliance using bespoke control libraries
through proper control systems, power implemented in a high-performance
production can be accurately forecasted controller.
and planned, and a power output to
match system demand can be provided. This latest technology provides frequency
containment by modulating active power
Grid codes and steady-state voltage control by
Electricity generators are required to changing reactive power.
comply with the stringent requirements
of the network codes respective to each Importantly, by treating the wind farm as
country of operation. These codes, also an integrated power plant, substation
known as grid codes, specify the techni- influence is also included in the system.
cal conditions and
processes required
for a generators Information can be seamlessly
compliance with all
aspects of planning, distributed to control opera-
connection and op-
eration.
tors, maintenance engineers
and plant engineers via a
The essential re-
quirement of grid common database manage-
codes is to ensure
wind power plants
ment system.
behave in a similar
way to conventional power plants and An optimized control system considers
provide the necessary grid support the capacity of each turbine to produce
functions. reactive power; checks the level of
reactive power at the substation level;

2 0 ABB review 4|15

1 Symphony Plus simple yet advanced ergonomic human-machine interface (HMI) for the
wind power industry
1a Ergonomic view of wind turbine nacelle information displayed in relation to the normal operating lation and commis-
point and upper and lower arms
1b Wind farm overview display illustrating overall power production and individual turbine status
and production values
interfaces with the tap changer of the
main transformers to help regulate the
voltage inside the wind farm; considers
the voltage levels within the wind farm
collector grid; and controls the reactive
power resources to minimize losses in
the collector grid to maintain voltage
levels within the constraints.
Managing voltage and reactive power in-
side the wind farm reduces tripping risks
and losses in the collector grids.
Unique automation systems
Symphony Plus for Wind automation
has been uniquely developed to inte-
grate wind turbine generation and elec-
trical infrastructure (substations, capac-
itor banks, STATCOMs, etc.) into a
single monitoring-and-control system
for the power plant. The integration of
the process power plant and the sub-
station automation systems results in
higher levels of availability, operator vis-
ibility and operational reliability.
Using standard protocols, such as
IEC61850, Modbus TCP and IEC 104,
the number of control systems across a
plant and the complexities associated
with the engineering, installation and
commissioning of individual control sys-
tems are reduced. Information can be
seamlessly distributed to control room
operators, maintenance engineers and
plant engineers via a common database
management system.
Having all assets integrated into a single
control system is intrinsic to the optimi-
zation of wind power plant production.
Using standard
protocols, such as
IEC 61850, Modbus
TCP and IEC104,
the number of con-
trol systems across
a plant and the
complexities asso-
ciated with the
e ngineering, instal-
sioning of individu-
al control systems
are reduced.
Optimization of plant production
Generally, wind power plants have a fast-
er response than conventional power
plants. However, there are challenges
mainly associated with the most signifi-
cant variable the availability of the wind
energy and how this affects plant-pro-
duction output levels.
By continually monitoring both the indi-
vidual output of each wind turbine and
the cumulative output from the wind farm
collecting the large amounts of operat-
ing data, such as wind speed/direction
and rotor speed, and interpreting this in
line with production data, such as active/
reactive power decisions can be made
to ensure that each wind turbine, and the
wind farm as a whole, is operating effec-
tively and at optimal efficiency, modulat-
ing the output of the turbines to meet the
required loads 1.
Changing wind 2 1
 Having all assets 2 SpiDAR technology is used for wind measurements, forecasting and site assessments.

integrated into a
single control sys-
tem is intrinsic to
the optimization of
wind power plant
production.

Overcoming wake effects in wind farms is ing actual wind conditions more accu-
an efficient and viable way to increase rately, ABB is positioned to offer the
revenues from the wind turbines, as this latest technology in wind control sys-

can account for a few percent of power, tems. Integrating Pentalums and ROMO
depending on the wind farm layout, com- Winds technologies with Symphony Plus
pared with non-wake, free-stream wind for Wind opens up the possibilities for
conditions. Optimizing the aerodynamic the next level of wind turbines and wind
interaction between turbines is also criti- farm controls.
cal for wind energy to gain advantage in
the renewable energy market. Pentalums innovative LIDAR (light detec-
tion and ranging) technology remotely
To maximize power production of the senses the wind vector in front of wind
wind farm through wake effect optimiza- turbines in order to optimally align the
tion, Symphony Plus for Wind models turbine with the incoming wind flow.
the aerodynamic interaction between Known as SpiDAR, the technology is
turbines, and cal-
culates the effect
of wake on electri- By integrating new sensing
cal power output.
Using a powerful devices such as SpiDAR and
online optimization
engine, it then op-
iSpin, Symphony Plus for
timizes the active Wind can further optimize the
power of each tur-
bine so that the production output of wind
power production
from the entire
turbines and wind farms.
plant is maximized
and combined with the reactive power also used for wind forecasting and site
control in order to minimize overall loss- assessment, and is designed to signifi-
es in the collector grid. cantly increase wind-farm efficiency at
a lower cost per site than with other
New sensing devices wind-vane measurement technologies,
With its strategic investment in two com- which less effectively sense air flow from
panies Pentalum Technologies and behind the wind turbine.
ROMO Wind whose products have
been designed to improve wind turbine
performance and operations by measur-

2 2 ABB review 4|15


3 iSPin technology provides accurate measurements of wind variables.
Symphony Plus for
Wind has been
developed with a
hierarchical archi-
tecture for plant-
level equipment
and remote center
systems using the
proven technology
S+ Operations.
SpiDAR also identifies wake effects and
the compounded effect of turbulence.
When integrated with Symphony Plus for
Wind, the operator is provided with all of
the relevant and timely information nec-
essary to react appropriately to changing
weather conditions that could seriously
affect wind power plant operations 2.
ROMO Winds iSpin technology provides
accurate measurements of wind vari-
ables such as speed, direction and tur-
bulence 3.
The combination of iSpin and Sym-
phony Plus for Wind enables online and
historical performance analysis of indi-
vidual wind turbines on a wind farm, en-
abling operators to implement essential
Standardized communication protocols
allow multiple power plants to be con-
nected together, so that all relevant
a ssets are interfaced with the other
s ystems to become one centralized
management system away from the
geographical location of the remote
power plants.
Ultimately, Symphony Plus for Wind pro-
vides an effective system platform that
increases energy efficiency, improves
engineering productivity and supports a
more flexible and reliable plant operation
and overall maintenance strategy.
efficiency-improvement programs and
consequently increase profitability. Yaw
misalignment, rotor efficiency, maximum-
power-point-tracking effectiveness and
accurate power curves can then be cal-
culated and monitored in order to detect
any underperformance of wind turbines.
Dedicated software applications use
iSpin and wind turbine data to define and
report next-level key performance indica-
tors for wind turbines, with the clear goal
to maximize turbine performance.
Modern control systems
By integrating new sensing devices such
as SpiDAR and iSpin, Symphony Plus for
Wind can further optimize the production
output of wind turbines and wind farms.
Using dedicated applications and real-
time monitoring, the parameters mea-
sured by the field sensing devices are
used to forecast and optimize power
production output from the wind turbines
and to determine the best energy prices.
The field data is also used to provide
diagn ostics and prognostics of wind tur-
bine operations, alerting the operators
and maintenance personnel to any po-
tential equipment malfunctions.
Symphony Plus for Wind has been devel-
oped with a hierarchical architecture for
plant-level equipment and remote center
systems using the proven technology S+ Adrian Timbus
Operations. It can be used as a complete ABB Power Systems, Power Generation
power management function, turning Zurich, Switzerland
renewable plants into reliable generation. adrian.timbus@ch.abb.com
Changing wind 2 3
 Virtual reality
ABBs central control and optimization system enables
cost-effective virtual power plant operation
SLEMAN SALIBA A virtual power plant (VPP) is a collection of
power generator units, power storage devices and flexible
power consumption units that is directed by a central control
system. A VPP can enable the participation of small- and
medium-sized renewable power generation units in the
electricity market or in the provision of grid services such as
2 4 ABB review 4|15
power balancing. Hence, the penetration of and the revenues
from renewables can be increased significantly. ABBs central
VPP control and optimization system not only allows opera-
tors to run their VPPs in real time, but it also enables them to
operate their plants in a cost-optimized manner according to
their own particular needs.

P
otential VPP power generation
assets encompass almost the
entire spectrum of power-pro-
ducing technology: biogas, bio-
mass, combined heat and power (CHP),
microCHP, wind, solar, hydro, power-to-
heat, diesel engines and fossil-fuel. Typi-
cally, VPPs will pool production from hun-
dreds of small- and medium-sized
renewable energy plants into a large-scale
VPP that has the size and flexibility to par-
ticipate in the electricity market espe-
cially in lucrative ancillary grid services.
In addition, a VPP can make use of many
kinds of energy storage solutions like
batteries, thermal storage, compressed
air or pumped storage. Finally, some
consumers can also become a part of
the VPP topology by, for example,
varying their processes to suit prevailing
power economics or by timeshifting
production loading 1.
Broadly stated, the goals of a VPP are
threefold: to attain better prices for pro-
duced energy on the spot and deriva-
tives markets, to participate in the power
balancing market and to optimize inter-
nal production and consumption.
Title picture
How do virtual power plants enable the integration
of renewable and distributed power?
1 ABBs central VPP control and optimization system simplifies VPP operations.
Gas turbine Biomass power plant Industrial side Hydropower plant
+ -
Storage
Solar power plant
Wind farm Control center
Power grid
Demand Production Power price
forecast forecast forecast
+ -
Storage Industrial side Gas turbine
Technical units / microgrids
Energy trading takes place in three dif-
Typically, VPPs will ferent markets: the balancing market,
the spot market and the derivatives
pool production
market. Additionally, there are over-the-
from hundreds of counter (OTC) trades in which partners
trade energy bilaterally. This article
small- and medi- deals with the opportunities that arise
for VPPs in the liberalized energy mar-
um-sized renew- ket and uses the German energy market
able energy plants and the European Energy Exchange as
references. The concepts, however, apply
into a large-scale to most international power grids and
energy markets.
VPP that has the
size and flexibility The balancing power market
The prerequisite for stable operation of
to participate in the the power grid is a balance between pow-
er generation and power consumption.
electricity market. So-called balancing power is injected if
any difference between the two should
arise. The goals of balancing power are to
Markets ensure that the frequency stays, within a
One of the main challenges involved in defined tolerance, at 50 Hz and to com-
operating a VPP is to place available pensate for regional differences in power
power on the different energy markets to generation and power consumption.
maximize returns.
To achieve these goals, three types of
The first step in accomplishing this is to balancing power interact dynamically:
establish the available power capacities primary balancing power, secondary bal-
in the VPP, the renewable production ancing power and minute reserve.
forecast, the foreseen load demand and
the long-term obligations. These are Balancing power is obtained from ancil-
then passed to a market optimization lary grid service providers responding to
system that distributes available power offers to tender issued by the transmission
generation capacities from the VPP to system operators (TSOs). Before the VPP
the different energy markets. operator can bid on this balancing power
market, each of his power generation units
has to undergo TSO prequalification.
Virtual reality 2 5
 2 Integration of the central control and optimization system into the IT landscape

Trader cockpit

EEX Forecasts Plant schedules Accounting

EPEX Delivery commitments Plant data Reporting
OTC Auction results Availabilities Diagnosis

Interfaces
Grid operator Web service File transfer/xml/csv SQL
minute reserve
OPTIMAX PowerFit

Real-time interfaces
IEC 60870-5-101/104 Modbus/TCP OPC
Grid operator
secondary control

Firewall/router

GPRS Internet

Technical units / microgrids

Traditionally, conventional power plants The derivatives market is often used to

Broadly stated, the were the only source of balancing ener- hedge against the price fluctuations on
gy. Now, however, a VPP can intercon- the spot market.
goals of a VPP are nect multiple smaller power generation

threefold: to attain units to reach the minimum offer size for

placing bids in the balancing power mar-
better prices for ket. Generally, the VPP operators proffer
a certain amount of balancing power and
produced energy market agents place these bids in the
Optimal operation of VPPs
As can be inferred from the above dis-
cussion, a VPP operator not only has
to have a clear overview and control of
his power generation assets, but also

on the spot and energy market. a means of managing the commercial

side of the enterprise in a cost-effective
derivatives mar- The European spot market way 1. ABBs central control and opti-
The European spot market, EPEX, offers mization system provides the foundation
kets, to participate two opportunities for short-term trading for the VPP to accomplish both these

in the power bal- of energy: the Day-Ahead market and the

Intraday market. In the former, electricity
aims. It connects the decentralized as-
sets and optimizes the operation, plan-
ancing market and is traded for delivery the following day
in hourly blocks or blocks of hours. The
ning and commercial considerations 2.

to optimize internal daily auction takes place at noon, seven The control system needs to have high

production and days a week, all year round, including

statutory holidays. In the latter, electricity
consumption. is traded for delivery on the same day or
on the following day in single hours,
15-minute periods or in blocks of hours.
Power derivatives market
The third market is the European Energy
Exchange (EEX) power derivatives mar-
ket. In this market, the broker can finan-
cially settle power futures and options on
these.
availability to comply with the strict re-
quirements for providing grid services
and all operational optimization results
must be available in real time.
VPP operators often face the challenge
of a rapidly growing installed base.
Therefore, it is essential that the central
control and optimization system is high-
ly scalable so it can be grown from a
few units to a few thousand in a short
time. In one of ABBs installations, the

2 6 ABB review 4|15

3 VPP control and optimization system modules

Forecasting Virtual power plant

Energy trading
PV/wind forecasts, Central control and optimization system

Commercial optimization
Monitoring
Decision support for trading Portfolio management

Invoice data export

Invoicing
Aggregation/disaggregation
TSO
Minute reserve
Day-Ahead/Intraday optimization
Process Generate schedules Hourly
database Battery storage management
Alarms & events
Data historian
Plant schedule Real-time optimization
Forecasts Asset control and monitoring
Unit commitment Second-by-second
TSO Balancing power calls
Secondary reserve Disturbance compensation

TSO Real-time interface

Primary reserve

Secure communication

Pool 1 Pool 2 Pool m

Unit ...

Unit ...

Unit ...

Unit ...

Unit ...

Unit ...

Unit ...
... ...
Unit 1

Unit 2

Unit 3

Unit 4

Unit 5

Unit n
Unit 1

Unit 2

Unit 3

Unit 1

Unit 2

customer installed base grew from 20 to
over 2,800 units in under three years.
As all hardware and software additions
were hot-swappable, ABB was able to
add all the units without interrupting
o perations.
Connections to the decentralized assets
are wireless-based. Therefore, it is cru-
cial to meet the highest cyber security
standards for transmitting set points and
balancing power release calls from the
ABBs central control and
optimization system gives the
terminal units that employ VPN tunnels
to transmit signals using private GSM or
encrypted Internet connections 2.
In the optimization on the commercial
side of the control system, the forecasts
for renewable power generation require-
ments, the committed long-term obliga-
tions, the load demand and the available
capacities of the assets are aggregated.
In this way, the VPP operator gets an
overview of the available capacities and
the marginal costs.
Based on this in-
formation, optimal
bidding strategies
for the different

operator a clear overview and electricity markets

are proposed to
control of his power genera- the trading depart-
ment, which then
tion assets, and a means submits offers to

of managing the commercial the energy markets.

Successful bids
side of the enterprise in a ie, power deliver-
ies and grid ser-
cost-effective way. vice commitments
are returned to
control system to the units in the field. the control and optimization system,
This is achieved by equipping the assets which generates the necessary sched-
or pools of local assets with remote ules for the power-producing units, tak-

Virtual reality 2 7
 4 Balancing power calls are distributed to the available units. Overall balancing power calls (lower left); and positive calls in green and
negative calls in red (lower right).
Connections to
the decentralized
assets are wire-
less-based. There-
fore, it is crucial to
meet the highest
cyber security
standards.
2 8 ABB review 4|15
ing all current restrictions and distur- As the world introduces ever more re-
bances into account 3. newable energy sources, the role of the
VPP in sustainable power generation
Further, instant-by-instant incoming bal- will increase in significance. The grow-
ancing power calls are also incorporated
into the individual schedules to provide the
ing complexity of generating power in
the most optimal way, matching it with
optimal set points for all relevant units 4. demand and marketing it in the most
cost-effective way means that ABBs
The standardized open interfaces sup- central control and optimization system
plied by ABB make it easy for the VPP
operator to integrate the control system
will continue to be a crucial tool for the
VPP operator.
into the IT landscape and automate the
information and signal flow from the field
level to the energy management level 2.
The ABB solution utilizes a mathematical
optimization program to distribute the
optimal set points in real time. Plant
properties such as power limits, distur-
bances or schedule deviations are mea-
sured online and directly factored into
the control of the assets. In this way, the
optimization program ensures that the
VPP is always run in the best possible
configuration.
With its solution portfolio, ABB covers all
aspects and requirements for the optimal
operation of VPPs. In particular, the cen-
tral control and optimization system runs
redundantly on servers that are located
in geographically dispersed data cen-
ters. In this way, ABB can ensure the Sleman Saliba
high availability that is an essential char- ABB Power Systems, Power Generation
acteristic of a control system running in Mannheim, Germany
such a high-criticality environment. sleman.saliba@de.abb.com
Potential improvement
Transmission technolo- ROLF GRUNBAUM, SIMON VOGELSANGER, ANDERS GUSTAFSSON, JANISSA
AREVALO In recent years, high-voltage transmission networks have
gies to support the been presented with unprecedented challenges. These stem largely

integration of renewable from deregulation, a rapid increase in inter-utility power transfers and
impediments to building new transmission systems due to economic
energy and environmental constraints. Added to this is the difficulty of control-
ling the flow of power and maintaining stability, especially when
integrating very large amounts of renewable energy (RE) from remote,
offshore wind farms, for example into the grid. Periods of strong wind
or high solar radiation and low load can exacerbate problems. These
challenges can be addressed by products such as ABBs FACTS
(flexible alternating current transmission systems) and HVDC (high-
voltage direct current) technologies, which allow more power to be
transferred in a very flexible, controllable and stable way.

Potential improvement 2 9
 1 Asmunti 400 kV series capacitor, Finland

fer capability, reduce losses, mitigate Series compensation requires control,

active power oscillations and prevent
overvoltages at loss of load. The fast var
capabilities of an SVC make it suitable for:
Steady-state and dynamic voltage
control to give increased power
protection and supervision to enable it to
perform as an integrated part of a power
system. Also, since the series capacitor
is working at the same voltage level as
the rest of the system, it needs to be

I
n theory, limitations on power transfer
capacity or power flow control can
always be circumvented by adding
new transmission and/or generation
facilities. ABBs FACTS devices help to
achieve the same goals without such
major system additions and HVDC
technology is the ideal complement to
cope with even more demanding power
transmission tasks.
A FACTS solution is justified when rapid
response, frequent output variations or a
smoothly adjustable output is required.
The main devices in the FACTS family are:
The static var compensator (SVC)
Series capacitors (SCs)
The STATCOM (static compensator)
devices SVC Light and PCS 6000
The static var compensator
An SVC can rapidly regulate line voltage
and bring it to the required set point. Fol-
lowing a power system incident eg, a
network short circuit, or line or generator
disconnection the SVC will supply
dynamic, fast-response reactive power. In
addition, an SVC can also increase trans-
Title picture
How do ABBs FACTS and HVDC technologies
allow network operators to increase power
transmission levels? Shown is the SVC at the
Viklandet 400kV substation in Norway.
transmission and reduced voltage fully insulated from ground potential.
variations.
Synchronous stability improvement to The main protective device in the series
bring increased angular stability and capacitor is a varistor usually of the
improved power oscillation damping. zinc oxide (ZnO) type that limits the
Power quality improvement in grids voltage across the capacitor to safe val-
feeding heavy industrial loads. ues and protects against any short-cir-
cuit currents. A fast protective device is
ABB recently implemented two SVCs often used to bypass the series capaci-
each rated at 250MVAr in the Nor- tor when the varistor cannot absorb
wegian 420/300kV power transmission excess fault current.
network. These were installed at
Viklandet and Tunnsjdal substations to Fingrid, the Finnish transmission system
increase power import capacity into the operator, enlisted ABB to install two such
region by up to 400MW. series capacitors (301 and 369MVAr) to
Series capacitors
Series compensa- A FACTS solution is justified
tion of power trans-
mission circuits by when rapid response, frequent
capacitors has sev-
eral benefits:
output variation or a smoothly
An increase of adjustable output is required.
active power
transmission,
without violating angular or voltage help meet internal transmission demands,
stability improve grid stability and boost the ex-
An increase of angular and voltage port corridor to Sweden by 200MW 1.
stability for a given level of power
transmission SVC Light
A reduction of transmission losses in SVC Light is a STATCOM (static com-
many cases pensator) device based on a chain-link
A reduction in the number of trans- modular multilevel voltage source con-
mission lines required verter (VSC) concept that is adapted for
power system applications. It can deliver

3 0 ABB review 4|15

2 Multilevel chain-link converter setup
2a H-bridge cell with IGBTs (one single phase)
reactive power to the grid with a highly
dynamic response. SVC Light can, for
i nstance, support weak grids, improve
large wind farm availability under varying
grid conditions and relieve grids in hot
countries that are loaded by a large
n umber of air conditioners.
IGBTs (insulated-gate bipolar transistors)
are key components of SVC Light. The
multilevel chain-link solution is built up by
linking H-bridge modules in series to form
one phase leg of the VSC branch 2.
An SVC can rapidly regulate
line voltage and bring it to the
required set point.
SVC Light is available for system voltag-
es up to 69kV and converter ratings up
to 360MVAr 3. For higher voltages, a
step-down transformer is used to con-
nect SVC Light to the grid.
To increase the dynamic stability and ca-
pacity of their network, Transelec S.A.
Chiles main transmission owner and op-
erator decided to install SVC Light. The
device is rated at 65 MVAr inductive
to 140MVAr capacitive at 220kV and
is located in the heavily loaded Cerro
N avia 220kV substation in Santiago de
Chile. As well as increasing the capacity,
SVC Light regulates and controls the
220kV grid voltage under steady-state
and contingency conditions, and pro-
vides d ynamic, fast-response reactive
power following system events.
3 Modular H-bridge units
2b Three-phase chain-link of H-bridges
PCS 6000 STATCOM and offshore
power transmission Series compensa-
Because the wind out at sea is strong
particularly in the afternoon, when elec- tion requires con-
tricity consumption is high wind farms
are increasingly being built offshore.
trol, protection and
supervision to en-
An offshore wind turbine delivers its
power via a platform-based transformer able it to perform
and AC cable to shore, where the volt-
age is stepped up and the power fed into
as an integrated
the grid. The remoteness of the wind part of a power
generator from the main part of the grid
can raise stability system.
and reliability is-
sues, which is why
transmission sys-
tem operators are
strengthening grid
code requirements
specifically those
related to reactive power, voltage control
and fault ride-through capability.
FACTS can provide the fast, dynamic
voltage control required by these grid
codes, whereas conventional, mechani-
cally switched reactive power compo-
nents such as capacitor and reactor
banks cannot.
On top of the usual grid reactance, wind
farm transformers and cables add reac-
tance that varies with active power out-
put. These additional, variable sources of
reactive power also need to be compen-
sated for. This can be done by using
ABBs PCS 6000 STATCOM.
Potential improvement 3 1
 4 Type testing of the 525 kV extruded HVDC cable system
The PCS 6000
ensures full grid
compliance and
dynamic power
compensation for
any wind farm, and
is designed as a
compact, modular
system for applica-
tions up to 38MVAr
per unit.
3 2 ABB review 4|15
5 Comparison of conductivity vs. voltage for the new and previous
HVDC cable insulation system
Conductivity (fS/m)
100
The PCS 6000 ensures full grid compli-
ance and dynamic power compensation
for any wind farm. It is designed as a
compact, modular system for applica-
tions up to 38MVAr per unit. Higher
power requirements can be achieved by
simply paralleling multiple PCS 6000s.
More than 20 PCS 6000s are already in
operation in various wind farms.
SVCs, series capacitors and STATCOM
devices enhance AC transmission; ABBs
HVDC technology makes DC transmis-
sion simpler.
HVDC Light (VSC technology)
Typically, HVDC is a more cost-efficient
technology for transmission of large
amounts of power over distances ex-
ceeding 600km by overhead lines and
about 50 to 100km in the case of under-
ground or subsea cables. However, many
other factors make HVDC technology
(particularly VSC-based HVDC such as
ABBs HVDC Light) the ideal comple-
ment for evolving AC grids. For example,
HVDC Light systems enable neutral elec-
tromagnetic fields, oil-free cables and
compact converter stations. Further,
they help manage the increasing chal-
lenges of renewable energy integration
with rapid control of active and reactive
power (independently), the provision of
voltage support and improvement in
power quality. Other advantages such
as black-start capability and the ability to
connect to weak AC grids make HVDC
Light especially attractive for grid inter-
connections and power provision to iso-
lated systems or crowded metropolitan
areas. Strong transmission connections
Risk of
thermal
runaway
No risk of
thermal
runaway
Todays technology
New technology
200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1,000 1,100 1,200
Voltage (kV)
contribute to reduced variability and in-
creased forecast accuracy of renewable
generation due to the geographical
smoothing effect over large areas.
HVDC Light highest voltage and
longest cable
Recently, ABB set an HVDC Light volt-
age world record with the 500kV Skager-
rak link between Norway and Denmark.
ABB has delivered all four of the Skager-
rak systems links: Skagerrak 1 and 2 in
the 1970s, Skagerrak 3 in 1993 and now
Skagerrak 4. The system spans 240km
and provides 1,700MW of transmission
capacity to enable hydrogeneration and
reservoir storage in Norway to be used
to balance wind generation in Denmark.
Skagerrak 4 comprises two 700 MW
VSC stations. The new link operates in
bipolar mode with the Skagerrak 3 link,
which uses classic line-commutated
converter HVDC technology. This is the
first time the two technologies have been
connected in such a bipole arrangement.
ABBs advanced MACH control system
was used to master the different ways
power reversal is handled between the
two technologies.
ABB will also deliver the worlds longest
extruded HVDC cable NordBalt, be-
tween Sweden and Lithuania. NordBalt
(300 V/700MW) comprises a pair of
cables with a total length of 53km over
land and 400km under the Baltic Sea.
The cable route has to pass through for-
merly mined areas and explosives dump-
ing grounds, as well as pass through a
Natura 2000 nature protection area on

6 525 kV cable system power density comparisons
60
50
Power density (MW/kgm)
40
30
20
10
0 0
Land
320 kV
6a With a 320kV extruded DC cable system; 6b With MI cable (Al conductors)
comparison for 1.5GW or less (525kV Al,
320kV Cu)
the Lithuanian side. The cable strength-
ens electricity supply and energy security
on both sides of the Baltic Sea and inte-
grates the emerging Baltic electricity
trading market with the Nordic market.
A new, more powerful cable system
Extruded HVDC cable system technolo-
gy is appropriate when power needs to
be efficiently transported through popu-
lated or environmentally sensitive areas,
or in coastal and open-sea applications.
ABB developed and successfully tested
a 525kV DC cable system with a power
rating well above 2GW for both subsea
and underground applications. This in-
novative system utilizes a new cross-
linked polyethylene (XLPE) DC insulation
material, an oil- and porcelain-free termi-
nation based on ABBs technology for
bushings, a land joint and a flexible sea
joint. This new 525kV HVDC cable sys-
tem opens up an exciting future for pow-
er transmission and is a major step to-
HVDC is a more cost-efficient
technology for transmission of
large amounts of power over
long distances.
ward a DC grid vision for the integration
of energy markets and greater utilization
of renewables 4. A single 525 kV
e xtruded HVDC cable pair with each
cable the diameter of a compact disc
can transmit enough power from large
60
50
Power density (MW/kgm)
40
30
20
10
Sea Land
525 kV
525 kV MI
offshore wind farms to supply 2 million
households.
A good HVDC cable insulation material
should have a low DC conductivity to
avoid thermal losses. The conductivity of
insulation materials increases with the
electric field and temperature. Therefore,
higher conductivity increases the risk of
thermal runaway and electrical failure.
5compares the conductivity of the new
cables with that of other cables. In the lat-
ter, the risk of thermal runaway increases
when the type test voltage exceeds
600kV, in the former, this risk is negligible
even with much higher voltage levels.
The new terminations are based on ex-
isting ABB HVDC bushing technology.
The polymeric composite insulator used
offers maximum safety without the risk of
shrapnel from explosions. This safety is
provided by elastomer elements (adapt-
ers and stress cone) including a mate-
rial with highly nonlinear electric proper-
ties and geometric
elements.
The 525kV extrud-
ed DC cable sys-
tem can transmit
50 percent more
power over extreme
distances than pre-
vious solutions (eg,
the 320kV extruded DC system). The
technology enables the lowest cable
weight per installed megawatt of trans-
mission capacity and the higher voltages
provide reliable transmission and low
e nergy losses.
Compared with the 320 kV level, the
transferred power given as MW/kgm
(power per kilogram of one meter cable)
is about double that of a land cable cir-
cuit and 50 percent more than a subma-
rine circuit 6a.
When compared with classic HVDC
cables with their insulation comprising
paper impregnated with a highly viscous
oil (also called mass-impregnated or MI
cables), the extruded DC cable system
Sea has an advantage in terms of MW per kg
525 kV extruded and meter cable 6b. Also jointing time is
significantly shorter for an extruded cable
system compared with the MI cable.
The trend toward more and larger renew-
able energy plants is very clear and very
strong. FACTS and HVDC technologies
will help support interconnected, flexible
and reliable grids. Many innovative and
sophisticated products are already avail-
able to help overcome the challenges in-
volved with RE integration and enhance
the power system flexibility and efficien-
cy required to satisfy the ever-growing
need for energy around the world. New
possibilities will be opened up by new
technologies and products, such as
ABBs 500kV VSC converter stations or
the new extruded 525kV HVDC cable.
Advances such as these reflect ABBs
commitment to remain leaders in the
development and use of power trans
mission technologies.
Rolf Grunbaum
ABB Power Systems, FACTS
Vsters, Sweden
rolf.grunbaum@se.abb.com
Simon Vogelsanger
ABB Power Systems, FACTS
Turgi, Switzerland
simon.vogelsanger@ch.abb.com
Anders Gustafsson
ABB Power Systems, High Voltage Cables
Karlskrona, Sweden
anders.h.gustafsson@se.abb.com
Janissa Arevalo
ABB Smart Grids Industry Sector Initiative
Zurich, Switzerland
janissa.arevalo@de.abb.com
Potential improvement 3 3
 Regulating lifes
ups and downs
Increasing grid capacity to connect renewable energies
MARTIN CARLEN, ADAM SLUPINSKI, FRANK CORNELIUS Jos
Gonzlez sang, I see problems down the line, I know that Im
right, and while that may be the case in some situations,
ABBs line voltage regulator prevents problems down the line
by automatically adjusting voltage to a regular level and
making the distribution grid smarter. Many countries have
important targets to increase the amount of electric power
generation from renewable energies. Wind and solar energy
3 4 ABB review 4|15
are especially in focus. With this shift from traditionally
centralized power generation to decentralized local genera-
tion, the conditions in the electric grids are also changing.
The distribution grids experience not only voltage drops due
to the loads, but also voltage rises caused by local generation,
and so large variations of voltage may occur. A line voltage
regulator manages these variations, which means that, as far
as renewables in the electricity grid go, Mr. Gonzlez is wrong.
 Because genera-
tion is higher than
the load power, the
voltage rise can be
very pronounced
and exceed the
allowed voltage
band.

B
y the end of 2014 a total p ower
generation capacity of about
195 GW was installed in Ger-
many. The capacity of wind
power and of photovoltaic (PV) power
each contributed, with 38GW, close to
20 percent of the total. During sunny and
windy weekends, up to 80 percent of
electricity is generated from renewable
resources. Germanys target is to in-
crease the share of renewables in the
electricity mix from the existing value of
27 percent to 50 percent by 2030, and
to 80 percent by 2050.
Due to Germanys Energiewende (en-
ergy transition) decision, the country is
quite advanced in the conversion from
traditional power generation to renew-
ables, but many other countries are fol-
lowing that path. Globally, China is lead-
ing the investments in renewable energy,
Title picture
An LV LVR installed between the distribution
transformer, which is used by multiple customers,
and the PV inverter.
where renewable power capacity now
surpasses new fossil fuel and nuclear ca-
pacity. In the United States, a number of
states have set mandatory targets for the
percentage of renewable power genera-
tion, eg, the State of New York with
30percent by 2015 and California with
33 percent by 2020. By the end of 2014,
Traditional distribution grids
were not designed for decen-
tralized in-feed, which can
sometimes be much higher
than the load power.
global installations of wind power ex-
ceeded 350GW and PV power exceed-
ed 180GW.
Contrary to large centralized power plants,
many of the renewable energy generators
feed into the local distribution grid, either
at low voltage (LV), which is mostly for PV,
or at a medium-voltage (MV) level, which
is mostly for wind power. Traditional distri-
bution grids are designed to cope with
the existing and expected future power
flow of connected consumer loads, but
were not designed for decentralized in-
feed, which can sometimes be much
higher than the load power.
Especially in rural
areas, generation
of wind or PV pow-
er can quickly ex-
ceed the planned
load power by a
factor of 2 to 3 but
can be as much as
a factor of 10. In-
stead of a voltage
drop along the electricity line from trans-
former to consumer, a voltage increase
occurs near the producer. In many cases,
the current-carrying capacity of the exist-
ing cable or overhead line is not a limiting
value, and the line is not thermally limited.
However, because generation is higher
than the load power, the voltage rise can

Regulating lifes ups and downs 3 5

 1 Voltage range in the MV and LV distribution grid available for 2 Voltage rise caused by infeed of a local generator and reduction of
voltage drop or rise voltage by an LVR

HV MV LV

110 %

MV LV

U/U n
100 %

5% 5% 90 %

HV/MV MV/LV
HV/MV MV/LV LVR Generator
transformer transformer

be very pronounced and exceed the al- HV/MV substation transformer. The total
There are different lowed voltage band. This may result in voltage bandwidth must therefore be
the need to disconnect the generator. distributed between the subsequent MV
solutions to the and LV networks. This results in a re-

voltage rise prob- There are different solutions to the volt-

age rise problem, like grid extension, in-
lem. Which solution stallation of a voltage regulator, or use of
reactive power. Which solution is the
is the most eco- most economically efficient depends on
duced voltage available for a voltage
rise caused by local generation.
In 1 the 10 percent voltage band-
width is equally distributed between MV

nomically effective the specific case. and LV. In order to cope with all the dif-
ferent conditions at individual feeders,
depends on the European requirements for the grid design engineer needs to have
the grid voltage defined fixed values. In this case 5 per-
specific case. The European standard EN 50160 [1] de- cent of the voltage bandwidth is attrib-
fines the requirements for voltage in pub- uted to each network level. It is also pos-
lic distribution networks. Under normal sible to asymmetrically distribute the
operating conditions the voltage at the voltage between the network levels. In
customer site has
to be within a range
of 10 percent of By using an LVR the available
the nominal voltage
Un. In other r egions, voltage range is significantly
demands can be
even more strin-
increased and additional
gent. In the United p ower can be fed into the
States, for exam-
ple, ANSI C84.1 [2] grid without exceeding the
requires the utility
to deliver power at
allowed voltage range.
the buildings ser-
vice entrance within a range of 5 per- Germany the LV grid typically gets only
cent for LV and within 2.5 percent to +3 percent for voltage rise. This quite
+5percent for MV. quickly limits the amount of power that
can be fed into the LV grid.
However, when considering todays
methods for the design of distribution The voltage drop in a typical copper ca-
grids in more detail, it becomes evident ble with a 350mm2 cross section
that the different voltage levels are firmly caused by the current, corresponding to
coupled and individual network levels a transmission power of 120 kVA at
do not have the full voltage bandwidth 400 V, reaches 3 percent after 45m.
available. The last transformer able to
adjust the voltage is the high-voltage

3 6 ABB review 4|15

3 MV line (top) and LV line (bottom) with an LVR doubling the available voltage range
An LVR is able to
adjust or recali-
brate the voltage
MV MV LV

level in the part of

5% 5% 5%
the grid subse-
HV/MV LVR MV/LV
quent to the LVR.
10 %

MV LV

5%

LVR
5% 5%

HV/MV MV/LV

10 %

4 Functional principle of an LVR

Line voltage regulator

MV or LV line UB Loads and

decentralized
Transformer generation

URB
MV or LV
UL U R= U L - U B
feeder

U L: Line to ground voltage

U B: Booster voltage on line side
URB: Booster voltage on regulator side
U R: Regulated line to ground voltage

Recalibrating the voltage Voltage adjustments by the tap changer

By using a line voltage regulator (LVR), the
available voltage range is significantly in-
creased and additional power can be fed
into the grid without exceeding the al-
lowed voltage range. An LVR is able to ad-
just or recalibrate the voltage level in the
part of the grid subsequent to the LVR 2.
In this example a generator is located at
the end of an LV line. Without an LVR the
voltage exceeds the allowed range.
An LVR can be installed at any place in
the grid. Depending on whether the in-
stallation is done in a single feeder line or
at a bus having several feeders, only the
voltage of the one feeder or of all feeders
is regulated.
of the HV/MV transformer influence all
MV and LV networks on its secondary
side, although voltage drop and rise can
be very different on individual feeders.
The same is the case for regulated distri-
bution transformers where voltage ad-
justments also influence the whole LV
network.
In the case of a feeder with a high amount
of generation power, the LVR decouples
it from the rest of the network. The re-
duction in voltage allows an increase in
the available capacity while staying with-
in the allowed voltage range 3.

Regulating lifes ups and downs 3 7

 A transformer with 5 Medium-voltage LVR installed in a compact substation

an OLTC allows
the transformer to
change the voltage
step-wise within
10 percent.

Mode of operation of an LVR plication since they have high energy

An LVR creates an additional voltage, efficiency, offer high flexibility for provid-
which overlays the existing line voltage ing any tap configuration, are mechani-
Ul. This additional voltage is coupled in cally very stable, are not sensitive to
via a booster transformer and can be quick changes in load or temperature,
additive or subtractive. In 4 a variable and are qualified for temperatures down
voltage supply, fed by the line itself, cre- to 60C.
ates a voltage U RB , which is transmitted
as UB into the line, resulting in the regu- The ABB LVR does not create a galvanic
lated voltage U R = UL +/- UB. separation in the regulated line and in
troduces a minimal additional imped-
A transformer with an on-load tap ance. The variable voltage supply circuit
changer (OLTC) is used as a variable on the other hand is galvanically sepa-
voltage source. It
allows the trans-
former to change The switches of the OLTC
the voltage step-
wise between 10 allow up to 3 million mechani-
percent. The OLTC
has a linear con-
cal operations without the
figuration, uses me- need for any maintenance.
chanical switches
and introduces re-
sistors in the diverter. The switches of rated from the line. This feature makes
the OLTC allow up to 3 million mechani- the LVR equally suitable for use in
cal operations without the need for any grounded, impedance-grounded or insu-
maintenance. lated grids.

Dry-type transformers with RESIBLOC The LVR contains, in addition, discon-

technology are used, making all compo- necting and/or earthing switches at the
nents free of oil and elimintating any risk input and output sides, sensors for the
of fire or explosion. The RESIBLOC trans- measurement of voltage and current, as
formers are especially suitable for this ap- well as a bypass switch, allowing com-

3 8 ABB review 4|15

6 Voltage and active power measurements during a one-week period in March 2015

21.2

21.0
Voltage (kV)

20.8

20.6

20.4

20.1
Mar. 11 Mar. 12 Mar. 13 Mar. 14 Mar. 15 Mar. 16 Mar. 17 Mar. 18

Voltage at HV/MV SS LVR input voltage Regulated LVR output voltage

6a Voltage

3.0

2.0
Power flow (MV)

1.0

0.0

-1.0

-2.0

-3.0
Mar. 11 Mar. 12 Mar. 13 Mar. 14 Mar. 15 Mar. 16 Mar. 17 Mar. 18

At HV/MV SS At LVR

6b Active power

plete shunting of the LVR. The same problem. Westnetz therefore decided to
functional principle is used for LV and MV. use an MV LVR 5. It is installed at a dis- The LVR has a high
tance of 10km from the HV/MV trans-
An MV LVR installation in Germany former. This solution turned out to be short-circuit capac-
Westnetz is a subsidiary of RWE Germa-
ny and the major distribution system op-
substantially cheaper than an upgrade of
the grid. Also, in this case, the existing
ity and voltage
erator (DSO) for the western part of Ger- cables have a higher current-carrying ca- regulation occurs
pability and are not a limiting factor [3].
The whole installation, including planning automatically.
The LVR is equally and issuing of authority permissions,
was realized within a few months, ie, in a
suitable for use in much shorter period than a grid exten-

grounded, imped- sion would allow.

ance-grounded or The LVR is able to adjust the voltage of

transmitted power of up to 8MVA by
insulated grids. 10 percent. The voltage regulation is
done in steps of 2 percent. The LVR has
high short-circuit capability and voltage
many. One of their 20kV MV networks in regulation occurs automatically. It is con-
the Eiffel region has over 200 generators nected via RTU and GPRS communica-
connected (PV, biomass, small hydro) tion to the grid control system. Westnetz
providing a total generation power of has access at any time to measured val-
over 5MW. The network currently ex- ues like voltage, current and power flow,
tends over a length of 26km and addi- as well as the status of the regulator. The
tional renewable power is to be connect- LVR can also be operated in remote or
ed in the coming years. local control mode.

A grid study showed that neither active
regulation of the HV/MV transformer nor
broad use of regulated distribution trans-
formers (totaling more than 60 MV/LV
transformers) could solve the voltage rise
Different modes for the control settings
are available. It is possible to select a
fixed voltage set-point value. The set-
point value can be modified via remote
control, or can, for example, be based

Regulating lifes ups and downs 3 9

 An LVR is able to 7 Interior of a low voltage LVR

automatically ad-
just the voltage of
an LV or MV line,
within a certain
range, to a desired
value and prevents
the need for costly
grid extensions.

on a voltage measurement at a different work. Overnight, typically between 5 p.m.

location. The Westnetz LVR is operated and 9 a.m., the power flow reverses and
by using a control curve, which is a func- up to 2MW is supplied from the HV grid.
tion of the power flow and the flow direc- March 15 seems to have been a rainy or
tion on the MV line. very cloudy day since only a little power
was locally generated.
The graph in 6a shows the input (non-
regulated) and output (regulated) volt- An LV LVR installation in Switzerland
age of the LVR and the voltage at the The roof of a farmhouse was to be cov-
HV/MV substation (SS). The graph ered with PV modules, providing a maxi-
shows that during periods of high local mum power output of 134kW. The farm
power generation the LVR input voltage is connected to the distribution trans-
exceeds the substation voltage, while at former by a 250m long 400V cable. Sev-
night this reverses.
The set-point volt-
age for the LVR is The set-point value can be
set to 20.5kV. The
regulated voltage modified via remote control,
remains well within
a voltage control
or can be based on a voltage
band set to 1.5 measurement at a different
percent of this val-
ue. LVR input and location.
SS voltage exceed
21kV. Without LVR and with the maxi- eral other customers are connected to
mum in-feed power of 5MW, the volt- the same transformer. A grid simulation
age at the end of the network, 26km carried out by ABB showed that the
away, would increase much more. cable does not have a thermal limitation,
but that the voltage rise will exceed the
In 6b it can be seen that toward mid- allowed range. An LV LVR was therefore
day the power flow becomes negative, installed in the middle, between the dis-
meaning that a power of up to 1.5MW is tribution transformer and the PV invert-
fed from the MV network into the HV net- er 7 [4]. The LVR is installed in an LV

4 0 ABB review 4|15

8 Voltage and power measured during a period of eight days in May 2014

40

20

0
Power (KW)

-20

-40

-60

-80

-100
May 21 May 22 May 23 May 24 May 25 May 26 May 27 May 28 May 29

8a Active power

248
Input voltage

voltage of phase U (V)

244
Output voltage

240

236

234

230
May 21 May 22 May 23 May 24 May 25 May 26 May 27 May 28 May 29

8b Voltage

cable distribution cabinet. Also, in this
case, the installation of an LVR was
much less expensive than adding addi-
tional cables.
The LVR can regulate the voltage for a
transmitted power of up to 250kVA. The
standard regulation range is 6 percent,
or 8 percent, in voltage steps of 1.2or
1.6 percent. Differences in the daily pow-
er profile seen in 8 represent the differ-
ent weather conditions: While it was
mostly sunny during the first five days, on
day seven there was hardly any sun. Es-
pecially on days three, four and five the
varying voltages indicate that there was
broken cloud cover. During the night
there was a load of 20kW that was regu-
larly connected.
Problem solved
Distribution grids are traditionally de-
signed to cope with the expected power
of existing and future loads. While the
feed-in of renewable generation is in-
creasing, the peak power of the genera-
tion can easily become a multiple of the
peak load, bringing distribution grids to
their limits. In many cases the limiting
factor is not the transmission capability
as such, but complying with the allowed
voltage range.
An LVR can easily solve this problem. An
LVR is able to automatically adjust the
voltage of an LV or MV line, within a cer-
tain range, to a desired value and pre-
vents the need for costly grid extensions.
The ABB LV LVR is installed in standard
LV cable distribution cabinets. In most
cases utilities do not need to get special
permission to carry out such installations
and LV LVR installations can therefore be
realized very quickly. The MV LVR is in-
stalled in a concrete substation, com-
pletely mounted and tested, and only the
MV cables need to be connected to the
integrated MV switchgear. In both cases
the LVR can easily be relocated and in-
stalled at another location if the situation
in the grid is changing or further connec-
tion of generators requires a reinforce-
ment of the grid.
Martin Carlen
ABB Power Products, Transformers
Zurich, Switzerland
martin.carlen@ch.abb.com
Adam Slupinski
ABB Power Consulting
Mannheim, Germany
adam.slupinski@de.abb.com
Frank Cornelius
ABB Power Products, Transformers
Brilon, Germany
frank.cornelius@de.abb.com
References
[1] Voltage characteristics of electricity supplied by
public distribution networks, EN 50160:2010,
2010.
[2] Voltage ratings for electric power systems and
equipment (60 Hz), ANSI C84.1-2011, 2011.
[3] M. Carlen et al., Line voltage regulator for
voltage adjustment in MV-grids, presented at
CIRED 2015, Lyon.
[4] F. Cornelius et al., Erhhung der Anschlusska
pazitten im Verteil- und Ortsnetz durch den
Einsatz von Lngsspannungsreglern, in
Von Smart Grids zu Smart Markets 2015
Beitrge der ETG-Fachtagung, Kassel.

Regulating lifes ups and downs 4 1

4 2 ABB review 4|15
Energy
storage
The benefits beyond the integration
of renewables

PAT HAYES, JANISSA AREVALO Many countries are currently in the early stages of a
renewable energy revolution. However, as solar- and wind-based generation
capacities in electrical power networks soar, operators are finding it increasingly
difficult to maintain grid stability and reliability. Two of the principal reasons for this
are the short-term variability and low predictability inherent to renewable sources.
Energy storage systems can address these issues and thus provide an important
contribution to the evolution of the electrical power grid. However, energy storage
can do even more than that: Placing energy storage strategically across utility fleets
can also offer new ways to enhance the provision and pricing of electrical energy
and associated services and provide a way to optimize the entire power system.

Title picture
Strategically placed energy storage systems can
transform the business model of enterprises
involved in the supply of electrical energy.

Energy storage 4 3
 The benefits of en- 1 Functional block diagram of a battery energy storage system

ergy storage span Network/renewable plant control and optimization

power generation,
transmission and Control and BESS
BMS BMS BMS

distribution ie,
protection control

AC network
from the generator
all the way to the
Grid
connection

end user. Filter

AC/DC converter Battery subsystem

BMS = battery management system

reactive power flow in both directions.

Furthermore, monitoring and control sys-
tems that allow manual and automatic
operation of all components supplement

E
the energy storage system. Communica-
lectric energy storage encom- tion protocols support remote control
passes a broad range of tech- and monitoring and may provide load
nologies: batteries, flywheels, and weather forecasts. In addition to the
pumped storage, heat storage system components, BOP equipment
and compressed air. Even electric vehi- such as transformers, protection equip-
cles can be used to store energy. At ment and switchgear are needed to en-
present, most utilities favor battery ener- sure a safe and reliable grid connection
gy storage systems (BESSs) as these and operation of the system [1] 1.
are easily scalable and can be located
almost anywhere. Applications and benefits of energy
storage
Regardless of which technology is being The benefits of energy storage span
used, a complete energy storage system power generation, transmission and dis-
(ESS) ie, one that can operate in stand- tribution ie, from the generator all the
alone mode or be connected to the grid way to the end user. Further, modern
has four major components: the stor- storage technology and power electron-
age medium, the control system, the ics can support the operation of large,
power conversion
system and the
balance of plant ABBs Enterprise software
(BOP). The design of
these components builds a link between the
strongly depends
on the energy stor-
energy storage system and
age application and the consumer.
the power rating
required. The stor-
age medium can be based on one of interconnected infrastructure as well as
many battery technologies eg, lithium- small, isolated power system setups
ion, sodium-sulfur, nickel-cadmium, lead- across a wide range of applications 2.
acid, or flow batteries. For higher power
requirements, several power converter Frequency regulation
systems can be connected in parallel Using energy storage to provide ancillary
to provide dynamic control of active and services such as frequency regulation or

4 4 ABB review 4|15

2 Main applications of energy storage systems
To provide an
ESS
Load leveling/frequency effective spinning
reserve, the ESS is
regulation
Spinning
ESS
reserves

maintained at a
Load
level of charge
Load
Power
station
20 kV 380 kV
leveling for
capital
ESS
Industry
ready to respond
ESS
Capacity firming
deferral
to a generation
110 kV
20 kV or transmission
ESS
outage.
ring

Peak
shaving
Voltage support/
ESS
power quality
33 kV 110 kV
Renewables

to act as spinning reserves for the elec- Load leveling

trical grid is proving to be a successful
business model that has minimal opera-
tion and maintenance costs with a sig-
nificantly lower carbon footprint than
Load leveling usually involves storing
power during periods of light loading on
the system and delivering it during peri-
ods of high demand. During the periods
of high demand,
the ESS supplies

Peak shaving is similar to load power, reducing

the load on less
leveling, but is for reducing economical peak-
generating facili-
peak demand rather than for ties. Since utilities

economy of power system must design their

operation.
conventional generation. For frequency
regulation applications, the ESS is charged
or discharged in response to an increase
or decrease, respectively, in grid fre-
quency caused by a sudden misalign-
ment of energy supply and demand. This
approach is particularly attractive due to
its rapid response time and emission-
free operation.
Spinning reserve
To provide an effective spinning reserve,
the ESS is maintained at a level of charge
ready to respond to a generation or
transmission outage. The system can
respond within milliseconds to supply
network according
to the peak power
usage capacity,
having energy stor-
age strategically located next to the load
allows for the postponement of invest-
ments in grid upgrades or new generat-
ing capacity.
Peak shaving
Peak shaving is similar to load leveling
but is for reducing peak demand rather
than for economy of power system op-
eration. Peak shaving installations are
often owned by the electricity consumer
rather than by the utility. Commercial and
industrial customers benefit from opti-
mized time-of-use energy cost and de-
mand charge management.

power to maintain network continuity Power quality

while the backup generator is started
and brought online. This enables genera-
tors to work at optimum power output,
without the need to keep idle capacity
for spinning reserves.
For power quality applications, an ESS
may help to protect downstream loads
against short-duration events that affect
the quality of the power delivered. For
i nstance, voltage fluctuations due to

Energy storage 4 5
 For every applica- 3 ABBs offering: From power conversion systems to integrated solutions

tion, ABB offers

optimized energy Power
conversion system
(EssPro PCS)
Electrical balance of
plant (EssPro EBoP)
Turnkey BESS
(EssPro Grid)
Software & other
services

storage compo-
nents and com-
plete solutions that

Customer value creation

help to maintain
grid stability and
ensure reliable and
high-quality energy - Power conversion - LV, MV, HV products - Integrated - Enterprise software
system engineering packaged battery system network manager DMS
supplies. - Integrated controls
- Proprietary algorithms
- Project management
- Civil works,
- Validation & verification
- System controller
- Services
- Power systems
installation, testing - Installation & service consulting

ABB content

events such as power equipment failure,

tree branches falling on the power line or ABBs solutions are
the variability of power output from solar
photovoltaic (PV) plants and wind farms, available for power
can have adverse impacts on the quality
of power delivered to electricity consum-
requirements rang-
ers. These power quality issues can lead ing from hundreds
to brownouts and possibly a complete
power interruption. ESSs can provide in- of kilowatts to
stantaneous voltage support by injecting
or absorbing both active and reactive
tens of megawatts
power. In addition to voltage support, the and are ready for
ESS may serve as an uninterruptible
power supply (UPS) that can bridge un- connection to
planned disruptions in service, thus fur-
ther enhancing the quality of power sup-
medium- or high-
plied to the energy consumers. voltage grids.
Capacity firming
Maintaining the variable, intermittent pow- watts to tens of megawatts and are
er output from a renewable power plant at ready for connection to medium- or high-
a committed (firm) level for a period is voltage grids [2] 3. For example, ABBs
called capacity firming. The ESS smooths EssPro Grid system features include
the output and controls the ramp rate dynamic active and reactive power con-
(MW/min) to eliminate rapid voltage and trol, active filtering of harmonics, island-
power swings on the electrical grid. ing mode and black start capability. Fur-
thermore, the implemented advanced
For every application, ABB offers opti- control algorithms ensure compliance
mized energy storage components and with the utilities standards through in-
complete solutions that help to maintain depth knowledge of grid codes.
grid stability and ensure reliable and
high-quality energy supplies. ABBs solu- Taking a strategic approach
tions are available for power require- To realize these benefits, energy storage
ments ranging from hundreds of kilo- has to be an integral part of utility net-

4 6 ABB review 4|15

4 Enterprise software solution map

ERP, physical asset and work management asset Mobile workforce management Customer management

- Asset management - Operations management - Forecasting and planning - Customer information

- Supply chain - Safety and compliance - Scheduling and dispatch - Billing management
- Work management - System health - Mobile work execution - Call center management
- Performance monitoring - Equipment reliability
- Maintenance optimization

Network management systems

- Generation coordination and control - Security control and assessment - System monitoring
Energy storage management

- Automated generation control - Switching control - Switching orders

- Real-time market communications - Transmission coordination - Reliability control
- Control area function - Reliability management - Volt/var optimization

SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition)

Energy commercial operations Energy planning and analytics

- Load and rev forecasting - Unit optimization and - Forecasting and analysis - Advisory energy
- Demand response bidding - Market price information consulting
- Trading and risk - Physical scheduling - Portfolio analysis and
management - Market comms and planning
- Smart grid operations settlement - Market data intelligence

FocalPoint business intelligence (BI)

- ETL and enterprise BI model - BI and performance - Ad hoc reporting - Dashboards and scorecards
- Data warehousing management applications - Reporting

works, not an isolated component to are based on electricity price predictions

meet an immediate local need. Adding and the use of those prices to forecast For frequency regu-
energy storage is more complicated than how often their energy storage facilities
simply buying the hardware, connecting will run and how profitable they will be lation applications,
it to the grid and normalizing the voltage.
Utilities need to look beyond the tactical
over a particular period. This requires
additional inputs involving forecasts
the ESS is charged
or local level and take a holistic or stra- based on weather, forecasted load, grid or discharged in
tegic view of both the physical and knowledge, and system lifetime and life-
financial components of energy storage. cycle costs. By considering all of these response to an in-
The first step should be to develop a
key elements, the energy storage system
can facilitate operational efficiency and
crease or decrease,
long-term resource plan to meet the util- enhance grid reliability. respectively, of grid
itys portfolio goals, independent of the
particular energy storage technology at Maximizing performance frequency. This ap-
the outset. This enables the utility to
d etermine how best to dispatch stored
Once this strategic analysis is complet-
ed, the utility will be in a position to de-
proach is a particu-
energy based on energy-price forecasts
and, critically, how to provide electricity
termine the optimal storage technology
and its size for each application. To get
larly attractive op-
at the lowest cost. the maximum benefit from its investment tion due to its rapid
Utilities that operate distribution grids
in energy storage, a utility has to employ
it as efficiently as possible and for the response time and
need first to identify the weak points on
the networks where energy storage can
greatest return at any given time. This re-
quires software capable of monitoring
emission-free
help to enhance system reliability and and controlling more than just a single operation.
then determine the optimal point of com- energy storage facility the software has
mon connection for it. ABB has a long to enable grid operators to visualize their
experience in performing grid studies entire network.
and can support the process for an opti-
mized BESS design in relation to the ABBs Enterprise software builds a link
technical and economic aspects. between the energy storage system and
the consumer. It can map distributed en-
Furthermore, grid operators are required ergy resources on the grid while also em-
to make decisions based on the perfor- ploying advanced algorithms to analyze
mance of their network. These decisions weather forecasts and projected load

Energy storage 4 7
 ABBs EssPro Grid
system features
include dynamic
active and reactive
power control,
a ctive filtering of
harmonics, island-
ing mode and black
start capability.
4 8 ABB review 4|15
5 1MW/15min EssPro Grid BESS at EKZ in Dietikon, Switzerland
profiles to help utilities optimize the en-
ergy storage systems charging and dis-
charging schedules 4. This not only
enhances operational efficiency but also
provides immediate access to those who
need to use energy storage resources.
Improved power storage and grid
stabilization
In 2012, together with EKZ one of Swit-
zerlands largest energy distribution
companies ABB commissioned the
largest battery energy storage project of
its kind in Switzerland 5. To enable ad-
ditional power to be provided to the grid
on demand, ABB supplied and installed
a lithium-ion battery BESS that can pro-
vide 1MW for 15 minutes. The storage
facility is integrated into EKZs power
distribution network and is being evalu-
ated for balancing peak loads, handling
intermittent power supply and optimizing
the grid. In island mode, it can power a
complete office building. The BESS en-
ables reactive power control and it can
serve as a primary regulatory reserve for
the transmission network. Significant ex-
perience has also been gained with the
integration of a solar PV plant and elec-
tric vehicle charging stations.
A BESS to support solar power
integration on Kauai Island
As a cluster of islands situated thousands
of miles from the mainland, the state of
Hawaii in the United States needs to im-
As electricity sys-
tems becomemore
complex, the im-
portance of BESSs
along the entire
power value chain
will further increase.
port nearly all the fuel used to generate
electricity. This leads to high energy
costs. As a result, the state is embracing
renewable energy sources with the inten-
tion of these meeting its entire energy
needs by 2040. Kauai Island Utility Coop-
erative (KIUC) a local not-for-profit utility
in Hawaii serving 32,000 customers is
looking to BESS technology to help main-
tain its system reliability and efficiency
as it continues to procure significant
amounts of renewables.
6 ABBs EssPro PCS c600
6a Indoor package
As part of a new 12MW solar energy
park under construction in Anahola, KIUC
deployed a 6MW/4.63MWh lithium-ion
BESS consisting of eight battery contain-
ers supplied by SAFT (a leading producer
of advanced batteries) and two contain-
ers housing an ABB 6MW power conver-
sion system. The main purpose of the
BESS is to regulate the distribution volt-
age on the AC bus to prevent undervolt-
age and overvoltage conditions; serve
as a spinning reserve to provide instant
backup power supply in the event of
unplanned outages; and help maintain
frequency levels during the loss of gen-
eration or a sudden increase in demand.
Energy storage to support wind
power integration in Canada
In 2013, the Cowessess First Nation
installed an 800kW Enercon wind tur-
bine along with a 400kW/744kWh lithi-
um-ion battery storage system and an
ABB EssPro power conversion system
on tribal land in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Along with smoothing out the ebbs and
flows of power from the wind turbine, the
storage system also reliably dispatches
power at times of peak demand.
On a windy day, the Cowessess system
can dispatch 1MW of electricity for a full
hour 800kW from the wind turbine and
200kW from the batteries. In addition, the
6b Outdoor package
system can be employed to firm the tur-
bines output for extended periods. The
project verified that the system is compli-
ant with anti-islanding standards when
the grid was absent and the wind turbine
was still in production. The system was
also used in coordination with the Sask
Powers utilitys demand response pro-
grams and proved to be a valid technol
ogy for this application.
ABBs turnkey BESSs provide an essen-
tial contribution to the enhancement of
system flexibility that is needed to accom-
modate significant amounts of renewable
energy on the grid and to optimize power
generation management around the
world 6. As electricity systems evolve Pat Hayes
and become even more complex, the im- ABB Power Systems, Power Converter Solutions
portance of BESSs along the entire power New Berlin, WI, United States
value chain will further increase. pat.hayes@us.abb.com
Janissa Arevalo
ABB Smart Grids Industry Sector Initiative
Zurich, Switzerland
janissa.arevalo@de.abb.com
References
[1] S. Clifford, Resource Management:
An end-to-end architecture for energy storage
in the grid, ABB Review 4/2014, pp. 6165.
[2] P. Casini, D. Cicio, A bright future: Energy
storage transforms the solar paradigm,
ABB Review 2/2015, pp. 2732.
Energy storage 4 9
 Consulting
the grid code
ABB and its power consulting experts are helping networks
integrate renewables and meet grid code requirements

INS ROMERO, JOHN DANIEL, DIOGO PEREIRA, FAHD HASHIESH, NIHAR RAJ, BRITTA BUCHHOLZ Renewable generation is very
different to conventional generation in terms of predictability and availability, inertia and the ability to provide both active and
reactive control. Additionally, much has happened in the market since the first renewable power plants were built. Facility sizes
now range from some kilowatts up to gigawatts and may be part of an isolated and/or weak system or be part of a strong
developed network. Therefore, transmission system operators (TSOs) and distribution system operators (DSOs), who are
responsible for guaranteeing a continuous, reliable and high-quality power supply in the grid, are constantly working on more
demanding operational requirements (grid codes) to ensure the controllability of these resources.

5 0 ABB review 4|15

 The increasing
penetration of
large amounts of
renewable energy
in transmission
and distribution
networks has
i ncreased the
concerns of TSOs
and DSOs, who
need to guarantee
a continuous and
reliable power
supply in the grid.

T
hrough onshore and offshore The concerns include: Grid codes traditionally focused on static
power connections, the pres- Continuity: The uncertainty related to reactive-power control, power factor and
ence of renewables is a reality the unpredictable capability of dynamic requirements such as low-volt-
today in both transmission renewables may have an impact on age ride-through (LVRT) capability. The
and distribution networks, coexisting the grid stability and therefore on the codes are now evolving into more de-
with and/or substituting more and more continuity of supply. manding requirements including dynamic
conventional generation. Wide experi- Quality of supply: Introducing new control of reactive-power, voltage and
ence in the renewables sector and a technology and
large number of projects performed connecting to
worldwide allow ABB experts to offer lower short- Grid codes are evolving into
customers high-level technical and eco- circuit networks
nomical assessments to cope with these may result in more demanding requirements
changing demands and requirements. higher harmonic
emissions,
including dynamic reactive
Evolution of grid codes voltage fluctua- power, voltage and frequency
The increasing penetration of large tions and
amounts of renewable energy in trans- resonances. control at the point of con-
mission and distribution networks dur-
ing the last decades has increased the
Reactive power
capability is also
nection and power quality.
concerns of TSOs and DSOs, who need critical in order
to guarantee a continuous and reliable to guarantee acceptable voltage levels. frequency at the point of connection,
power supply in the grid. Reliable and secure supply: Discon- and power quality ie, full control of the
nection of large amounts of renewable facility. The key changes from the TSO
resources may impact the overall perspective are outlined in 1. Chal-
Title picture
stability of the grid. Available spinning lenges to various distribution systems in
Renewable generation is diverse and is part of a varied
power network. Grid codes are essential to ensure reserve is needed to ensure a secure different countries are presented in [1].
a continuous, reliable and high-quality power supply. operation.

Consulting the grid code 5 1

 1 Key changes to grid codes

Requirement Traditional New

topic requirements requirements

Active power - Steady-state frequency control according to TSOs acceptable - Frequency control from individual equipment (inverter/wind
and frequency control frequency ranges turbines) expected at point of connection (POC) according to
- Protection settings TSOs defined time response (plant controller)

Reactive power - Power factor at the POC - Reactive capacity mapping at POC according to individual
and voltage control - Dynamic capability to support faults equipment
- Steady-state voltage control according to TSOs acceptable - Dynamic voltage/reactive power control at POC
voltage range (plant controller)
- Protection setting

Power quality - Harmonic distortion and flickering levels

LVRT - Capable of enduring the fault with highly demanding requirements

in terms of reactive power injection to the grid

Modeling, testing and - Steady-state network model - Fully dynamic network model to ensure reactive power/voltage/
certification - Dynamic black-box models if required to fulfill reactive power frequency control at POC (plant controller)
requirements during the fault - Harmonic equivalent network model
- Individual and/or aggregated generation model
- Applicable tests to demonstrate compliance with connection
requirements for individual equipment (turbine/inverter)
- Certification required for new equipment

Operation and Basic maintenance expected TSO and owner generator shall agree on the appropriate
maintenance maintenance plan of production facilities in a timely and orderly
fashion

Ancillary systems Not applicable - Power oscillation damping control

- Virtual inertia
- Ancillary service (primary/secondary frequency control)
- Accurate forecast

Grids with low potential for growth in United States

Environmental con- energy consumption The installation of renewable energy, par-
North America and Europe have experi- ticularly wind energy in the United States,
cerns and political enced progressive renewable penetra- has often required reinforcement of the

regulations, in par- tion during the past two decades. Envi-

ronmental concerns and political regu-
allel with available lations, in parallel with available technol-
ogy, are the main drivers for the change.
technology, are the Transmission power networks are well
transmission infrastructure. One exam-
ple is the transmission system within the
Texas Interconnection with the Electric
Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) as
the system operator. In 2005, the Texas

main drivers for interconnected, robust and dimensioned

with sufficient reactive power margins
progressive renew- and spinning reserve to be correctly
b alanced. In addition, well-known opera-
able integration. tional and market rules exist.
To keep pace with the ambitious targets
for 2020 and 2050 these networks are
facing three main challenges. Specifically
how to:
Reinforce/adapt the existing power
networks to allocate more renewable
resources
Integrate and control renewable
generation in the distribution grid
Cope with the expected new require-
ments from TSOs/DSOs for voltage
control and frequency regulation.
Legislature ordered the Public Utility
Commission of Texas to designate Com-
petitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ)
and to order specific transmission im-
provements that would allow connec-
tions from the CREZ to load centers
primarily around the Dallas/Fort Worth
metroplex, Austin and San Antonio [2].
This reinforcement included over
3,700km of new 345kV transmission
lines to accommodate an incremental
11,500MW of wind generation capacity
in western areas of the state. ABB per-
formed an initial reactive power assess-
ment in 2009 concluding at the outset
with nearly 4000MVAr of shunt reac-
tors, about 960MVAr of shunt capaci-
tors, and 1,400MVAr of static var com-
pensators (SVCs).

5 2 ABB review 4|15

2 Power sources contributing to the German power production grid
Others
Lignite coal
26
Natural gas
4
10 Total:
610 billion kWh
16
18
Nuclear energy
Hard coal
Source: AGEE-Stat and AGEB. Statistisches Bundesamt (Federal Statistical Office of Germany), Wiesbaden 2015
With regard to grid codes, there are some
special provisions for renewable devel-
opers to comply with Federal Energy Reg-
ulatory Commission (FERC) Order 661-A
for LVRT and reactive capability require-
ments, in addition to the general stan-
dards applicable to all power generation.
Spain
Spain has been a leader of renewable
intergration for the past 15 years. A new
draft for the local grid code is under dis-
cussion in which, on top of the traditional
requirements, frequency regulation and
voltage control are being considered.
Providing flexibility to the existing net-
works to maximize the use of the installed
renewable capacity (about 23GW vs. a
peak load of about 40GW) is a challenge
today. Flexible AC transmission solutions
(FACTS), energy storage and increasing
the interconnecting capacity with HVDC
are some solutions under study. ABB, in
collaboration with the Spanish TSO Red
Elctrica de Espaa (REE), has partici-
pated in the EU TWENTIES consortium,
contributing with an important package
of R&D studies to develop a real proto-
type [3] capable of redirecting the excess
of renewable power flowing from one cor-
ridor to another with available capacity.
Germany
In Germany, over 1 million small genera-
tors are already connected to the distri-
bution grid. Wind turbines and photovol-
taics (PV) represent a total installed
ABB has been a
pioneer in develop-
ing innovative com-
9 Wind power ponents such as
voltage regulators
26
Renewable to solve individual
challenges of
energies 7 Biomass
6 Photovoltaics p ower quality for
3 Hydropower distribution grid
1 Domestic waste
operators.
capacity of more than 76GW, related to
a peak load of about 80GW 2. Initially,
small-sized generators were not required
to be equipped with communication
technology or remote control access. To-
day, the situation is the opposite. In the
event of power quality problems, the grid
operator is empowered to reduce feed-
in. In general, fluctuating generators cre-
ate challenges to keep the voltage within
the defined band and the thermal load of
assets is also a challenge.
In Germany, rules issued by Bundesver
band der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft
(BDEW) and Verband der Elektrotechnik
Elektronik Informationstechnik e.V. (VDE)
cover grid codes for generators and
storage in distribution system. ENTSO-E
network codes such as Requirements
for generators are also expected to
b ecome effective for Europe soon [4,5].
ABB has been a pioneer in developing
innovative components such as voltage
regulators to solve individual challenges
of power quality for distribution grid
o perators [6, 7].
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, apart from solar
panels installed on domestic rooftops,
the rest of the renewable infeed is large
enough to follow the grid code, with
which National Grid and users of its
transmission system are required to
comply. The UK electrical network (es-
pecially the southern part of it) has one
of the highest electric energy densities
Consulting the grid code 5 3
 In South America, 3 ABB is also supporting the integration of large PV plants.

the Middle East

and Asia the net-
works continue
to develop at the
same time that
a large integration
of renewables is
taking place.

in the world, causing a lot of difficulties Recently ABB experts have faced the
when designing power plant networks challenge of developing a high-level plant
and achieving grid code targets. High controller in South Africa able to fulfill the
short-circuit levels; the need for power new grid code requirements from Eskom
transformers with high impedance; volt- in terms of voltage, power factor, reac-
age stability and power quality issues; tive power control and power curtailment
and fast fault clearance demand are in a very short time 3.
some of the challenges.
Brazil
Grids with high potential for growth in In Brazil figures for wind and solar power
energy consumption generation in 2013 were 28 percent and
In South America, the Middle East and 5 percent, respectively. The rapid inte-
Asia the networks continue to develop gration of renewables is bringing new
at the same time that a large integration challenges in terms of power plant design
of renewables is taking place, driven and operation. To comply with the Brazil-
mainly by available
technology, more
accessible electric- The rapid integration of
ity prices, and in-
vestors bringing in renewables is bringing new
successful experi-
ences from other
challenges in terms of power
countries. The chal- plant design and operation.
lenges of integra-
tion are:
Stability issues due to limited margins ian ISO (ONS Operador Nacional do
of reactive power Sistema Eltrico) grid code, ABB has
Lack of interconnection with neigh- been working on assuring appropriate
boring countries and limited spinning modeling for wind turbine control 4
reserve and providing solutions to improve power
Poor power quality levels due to low quality.
short-circuit ratios
Networks generally weaker in the The ISO has been tracking measurement
areas away from the main cities campaigns and participated in task force
working groups to share and develop
South Africa methodologies to define the grid code in
ABB has participated in numerous local terms of filtering optimization.
studies, exporting expertise worldwide [8].

5 4 ABB review 4|15

4 ABB has been ensuring appropriate modeling for wind turbine control in Brazil.
Jordan
Jordan is facing a serious challenge on
the energy front. It imports more than
97 percent of its energy, leading to high
energy bills. This situation highlights the
need to utilize alternate sources of en-
ergy, which are abundant in the country.
The country aims to raise its dependency
on local and renewable energy resourc-
es from 4 percent (in 2013) to 13per-
cent by 2016 and 39 percent by 2020.
ABB has studied the market trends,
e xpectations and the renewables grid
code to leverage opportunities posed
by the booming renewable sector. The
market has been approached proactive-
ly, an initiative that has been very well
received by NEPCO, the transmission
utility and renewable investors. Promot-
ers have now approached ABB to ex-
tend grid integration support in Egypt.
To get approval to connect the pro-
posed RE plant to the grid, RE develop-
ers have to comply with all the require-
ments as per the grid code, something
which ABB is well placed, and well
e xperienced, to help them do.
Code connection
For many power network providers,
keeping up with the ever changing and
increasingly demanding grid codes is a
draw on resources. It takes time to keep
up, and to interpret changing or new
grid codes, and to then extrapolate how
those codes may affect the situation
and what may need to change in order
to remain compliant. ABB supports
power providers through these chang-
es, and their vast experience brings
clarity and effectiveness to the review,
assessment and decision making activi-
ties required.
Changing and evolving grid codes are
necessary for changing and evolving
grid supply and demand. But rather
than these changes being a burden,
ABB sees them as a positive opportu-
nity for grid evolution: Much like the Chi-
nese proverb that says, When the
winds of change blow, some people
build walls and others build windmills.
Ins Romero
ABB Power Consulting
Madrid, Spain
ines.romero@es.abb.com
John Daniel
ABB Power Consulting
Raleigh, NC, United States
john.daniel@us.abb.com
Diogo Pereira
ABB Power Consulting
Guarulhos, Brazil
diogo.pereira@br.abb.com
Fahd Hashiesh
ABB Power Consulting
Stone, United Kingdom
fahd.hashiesh@gb.abb.com
Changing and
evolving grid
codes are neces-
sary for changing
and evolving
grid supply and
demand.
Nihar Raj
ABB Power Consulting
Vadodara India
nihar.raj@in.abb.com
Britta Buchholz
ABB Power Consulting
Mannheim, Germany
britta.buchholz@de.abb.com
References
[1] J. S. Papathanassiou et al., Capacity of
Distribution Feeders for Hosting DER in CIGRE,
Technical Brochure 586. Paris, 2014.
[2] J. Daniel et al. (2010). CREZ Reactive Power
Compensation Study.
Available: http://www.uwig.org/CREZ_
Reactive_Power_Compensation_Study.pdf
[3] I. Romero et al., Overload line controller:
new FACTS series compensation application
based on switched series reactors in CIGRE,
session A3-108. Paris, 2014.
[4] ENTSO-E (2015). Network Code on Require-
ments for Grid Connection Applicable to all
Generators (RfG) [Online].
Available: https://www.entsoe.eu/major-
projects/network-code-development/
requirements-for-generators/Pages/default.aspx
[5] Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and
Energy (BMWi). Development of Renewable
Energy Resources in Germany 2014, Berlin,
2015.
[6] B. Buchholz et al., Smarter distribution:
How to increase the capacity of distribution
grids to host distributed generation,
ABB Review 4/2014, pp. 2933.
[7] M. Carlen, et al., Regulating lifes ups and
downs : Increasing grid capacity to connect
renewable energies, ABB Review 4/2015,
pp.3441.
[8] I. Romero Navarro, et al., Wind Farm Integra-
tion Power Analysis in Power-Gen Asia,
Singapore, 2007.
Consulting the grid code 5 5
TAMING THE
POWER
ABB Review series
Part II

5 6 ABB review 4|15

Balance
the swing
Real-time monitoring and elimination
of inter-area oscillations in large
interconnected power systems

MATS LARSSON, LUIS-FABIANO SANTOS Low-frequency, inter-area power

oscillations are always present in large interconnected transmission grids.
Usually, the oscillations are harmless, but certain fault conditions can
create oscillations that steadily grow and lead to a partial or total power
system breakdown. To avoid this, a power system operator should be able
to monitor the ability of the system to damp the oscillations and should
also have the facility to reduce power transfers if deemed necessary.
In addition, the monitoring system should display valuable information on
relevant events in other parts of the interconnected power grid, ie, parts
not directly supervised and controlled by the operator in question. ABBs
solution for synchronized phasor measurements and wide-area monitoring
called PSGuard makes it possible to do all this. This article is one of
an ABB Review series that looks at technologies that help keep the power
grid under control.

Title picture
Harmful oscillations can arise between
interconnected power grids. It is essential to
monitor these closely and take action before
they become destructive. How does ABBs
PSGuard help with this?

Balance the swing 5 7

 1 Generator speed responses to a local fault with different power network
characteristics
TAMING THE 53
Stable power oscillations
POWER 52.5
Unstable power oscillations
ABB Review series 52
Part II
51.5
Frequency (Hz)
51
50.5
50
49.5
49
48.5
0 2
T
he phenomenon of inter-area
oscillation can arise when
grids are interconnected. In a
large grid like the European
one, thousands of power stations
work together to supply the total load
on the grid. The electrical machines in
these power stations are kept rotating
synchronously through their intercon-
nection with power transmission lines.
Should a machine rotate slower than
the average machine speed in the
system, it will automatically absorb
energy from the grid to bring its speed
up to the average value again. On the
other hand, a machine rotating faster
than the average will supply extra
e nergy to the grid to reduce its speed.
The torque that is applied to the gen-
erator shaft due to this self-stabilizing
effect is called synchronizing torque
and is the most fundamental mecha-
nism in making the interconnection of
power grids possible. However, this
mechanism also makes it possible for
speed variations to propagate and
spread across entire interconnected
power grids.
Also, there are control systems con-
nected to each generator that have
the task of keeping the rotational
5 8 ABB review 4|15
4 6 8 10
Time (s)
speed, and consequently the fre-
quency, at the generator site con-
stant. A typical generator frequency
variation occurring as a result of a lo-
cal fault is shown in 1. Initially, the
frequency increases since electrical
energy cannot be supplied to the grid
because of the fault, resulting in a
higher speed. When the fault is
cleared by disconnecting the faulty
component, power transfer capability
is restored and the machine now
operating above its rated speed
can again supply power to the grid,
which decelerates the machine.
When the generators control sys-
tems are well-tuned to the operating
conditions the result is similar to the
blue line in 1, where the oscillation
is damped out in a matter of sec-
onds. However, if the control systems
are poorly tuned or malfunctioning,
the result can be a growing oscilla-
tion as illustrated by the grey line
that will eventually lead to a break-up
of the interconnected system and
possibly blackouts.
Detecting poorly
damped oscillations
ABB has developed a real-time analy-
sis tool called Power Damping Moni-
toring (PDM) that can detect poorly
damped oscillations based on a sys-
tem identification procedure using a
phasor measurement unit (PMU). A
PMU is a device that measures the
grid voltage and frequency using a
common synchronization time source.
2 Wide-area monitoring system at Swissgrid
PMU
PMU
Switzerland
PMU
PMU
PMU PMU
Secure inter-TSO
communication network
PMU protocols IEEE 1344-1995
and IEEE C37.118
Additional European PMUs
Slovenia Denmark
Italy Portugal
Greece PMU
Turkey
PSGuard 830/850
phasor data concentrator
Time synchronization allows synchro-
nized real-time measurements of
multiple remote measurement points.
A PMU can be either a dedicated
d evice or the PMU function can be
integrated into a device such as a
protective relay. ABBs latest PMU
released at the start of 2015 is
called the RES670.
The PDM application provides infor-
mation such as:
The number of detected active
oscillation modes.
The frequency and damping of
each mode.
The amplitude of the oscillations in
each mode and in each measure-
ment signal.
The modal observability, ie, a
measure of how visible each
oscillatory mode in each measure-
ment signal is, as well as the
relative phase in each measure-
ment.
The mathematical background of
the algorithm, results from simulation
experiments and measurements in
the Scandinavian power grid are
d escribed in [1] . It was benchmarked
against other damping monitoring
a lgorithms [2] .
PSGuard is the
basic platform for
Austria
PMU
wide-area solu-
PMU
PMU
tions, enabling
power utilities to
introduce WAMS
technology step-
wise with minimal
PMU
PMU
PMU
investment.
PMU PMU
Croatia
PSGuard PMU ABB phasor
communication gateway measurement unit RES 521
Wide-area monitoring
system at Swissgrid
Since 2004, Swissgrid has been
monitoring the Swiss transmission grid
using a PSGuard wide-area monitor-
ing system (WAMS) [36] . PSGuard
enables integration of existing or
newly installed PMUs into a WAMS,
which allows phasor ie, PMU data
to be collected at a central location.
PSGuard is ABBs platform for wide-
area solutions based on synchropha-
sors and it enables power utilities to
introduce WAMS technology step-
wise with minimal investment. PS-
Guard provides the operator with
system supervision displays, trends,
and event and alarm lists. The Swiss-
grid system was successively extend-
ed and is now interconnected with
PSGuard systems in Austria and Cro-
atia, enabling the real-time exchange
of phasor data. Additionally, phasor
measurements are exchanged with
WAMS systems from other vendors in
Denmark, Slovenia, Italy, Portugal,
Greece and Turkey. Phasor data is
transferred using the synchrophasor
standard protocol (IEEE C.37-118)
over a secure Inter-TSO (transmis-
sion system operator) communica-
tion network.
Balance the swing 5 9
 3 Map display showing the dominant inter-area modes in the ENTSO-E grid. The circles
indicate the location of the PMU frequency measurements.

TAMING THE
POWER
ABB Review series
Mode 1 0.125 Hz
Part II
Mode 2 0.249 Hz

Mode 3 0.18 Hz

East-West
North-South Mode
Mode

Old
East-West
Mode

In total, the Swissgrid WAMS system In September 2010, the Turkish pow-
Since September collects data from 22 PMUs with a er grid was connected for a period in
time resolution of 10Hz. The setup a trial mode to the ENTSO-E CESA
2010, the Turkish now has excellent capabilities for system. The addition of Turkey result-

power grid has monitoring inter-area oscillations in

the ENTSO-E (European Network of
ed in a new dominant mode.

been connected Transmission System Operators for A damping monitoring application has
Electricity) Continental European been in operation at Swissgrid since
to the ENTSO-E Synchronous Area (CESA). The archi- December 2010 and it has continu-

CESA system. tecture of the hierarchical WAMS sys-

tem at Swissgrid is illustrated in 2.
ously monitored the damping and
frequency of inter-area modes in the
The connection of CESA system. The application has
Inter-area oscillations in the been configured to use real-time fre-
Turkey resulted in ENTSO-E power system quency measurements with a time

a new dominant An extensive interconnected power

system such as the ENTSO-E CESA
mode. which encompasses Portugal to the
west, Denmark to the north, Italy to
the south and Turkey to the east
harbors a large number of oscillatory
modes. These modes range from lo-
cal plant modes with a relatively high
frequency of 0.9 to 2Hz to the slow,
dominant inter-area modes that relate
to differences in the coherent speed
of generators in one entire network
and that of generators in other net-
work areas. Although the damping
monitoring application will also de-
tect local modes, the investigation
here focuses on the inter-area modes.
resolution of 10Hz from the seven PMU
locations shown with circles in 3.
This figure also illustrates the inter-
area oscillation modes that have been
detected by the damping monitoring
application in the CESA system.
The east-west mode involves the
c oherent movement of generators in
Portugal and Spain against those in
Turkey. This mode typically displays a
frequency of 0.13 to 0.15Hz and ap-
peared following the connection of
Turkey. Under normal operating con-
ditions, this is the dominant mode
with the most oscillatory energy. Prior
to the connection, detailed simulation
studies and measures were taken to
ensure damping of this anticipated

6 0 ABB review 4|15

4 SCADA system screenshot during a
detected inter-area oscillation
Load CH 4552 MW Sum A/D/F
n-1 max 1090 MW
97%
n-1 norm Sum Trafo
423
82% -874 MW
1098 WAM
Oscillation
Export 3984 MW
2858
Delta 1 -1 mHz
mode. Those measures included, for
example, retuning power system sta-
bilizers and the addition of active
shunt methods such as static com-
pensation (STATCOM) and static var
compensation (SVC) with damping
modules. The field recordings using
WAMS indicate that those measures
have been effective. The estimated
time-domain damping is, most of the
time, in the interval of 45 to 70 per-
cent, which ABB considers adequate
[3] .
Detection and mitigation
of critical oscillations
The dominant modes depicted in 3
are continuously monitored by per-
forming online modal analysis and
related parameter identification. If the
system damping for one of the sig-
nificant modes becomes too low and
there is a large oscillation amplitude
for longer than a few oscillation
c ycles, specific alarms are transmit-
ted from the WAMS to the SCADA
(supervisory control and data acqui-
sition) environment at Swissgrid. The
operators are then notified through a
red box that pops up on one of the
main SCADA overview displays as
illustrat ed in 4.
As an example, one critical inter-area
oscillation occurred on February 19,
2011 a Sunday morning when the
5 Recording of frequency measurements provided by the WAMS system at
Swissgrid from the oscillation event of February 19, 2011
50.20
50.15
50.10
50,05
Frequency (Hz)
50
412
49.95
49.90
49.85
49.8
49.75
49.7
08:00
Italian power system oscillated against
the rest of the continental European
system [7] . The event occurred in the
early morning after generation was
redispatched to accommodate a large
injection of solar power in southern
Italy. In contrast to most conventional
power plants, solar power plants typ-
ically lack the control systems need-
ed to damp out oscillations. The solar
power injection resulted in a growing
oscillation 5. This large oscillation
was successfully detected by the
PDM analysis tool and the operators
were notified promptly. The operators
could then redispatch the generation
to reduce power import to Italy after
around 8 minutes. Had the oscillation
gone unnoticed and been allowed to
grow further, it is likely that a break-
up of the European power network
would have occurred. This proves the
value of the synchrophasor technol-
ogy and the new monitoring applica-
tion in increasing the security of the
power supply.
Frequency Brindisi
Frequency Bassecourt
Frequency Kass
08:04 08:08 08:12 08:16 08:18
Time (min)
Mats Larsson
ABB Corporate Research
Baden-Dttwil, Switzerland
mats.larsson@ch.abb.com
Luis-Fabiano Santos
ABB Power Systems,
Substation Automation Systems
Baden, Switzerland
luis-fabiano.santos@ch.abb.com
References
[1] M. Larsson, D.S. Laila, Monitoring of
inter-area oscillations under ambient
conditions using subspace identification,
PES 09, Calgary, 2009, pp. 16.
[2] J. Turunen et al., Comparison of Three
Electromechanical Oscillation Damping
Estimation Methods, IEEE Transactions on
Power Systems, vol. 26, no. 4, pp.
23982407, 2011.
[3] W. Sattinger et al., Operational Experience
with Wide-Area Monitoring Systems, CIGRE
2006 Session, B5-216.
[4] W. Sattinger et al., A new dimension in grid
monitoring, Transmission & Distribution
World, 2 2007, pp. 5460.
[5] A.G. Phadke, The Wide World of Wide-area
Measurement, IEEE Power & Energy
Magazine, 2008, pp.5265.
[6] M. Zima et al., Design Aspects for
Wide-Area Monitoring and Control
Systems, Proceedings of the IEEE, vol. 93,
no. 5, 2005, pp. 980996.
[7] ENTSO-E, Analysis of CE Inter-Area
Oscillation of 19th and 24th February 2011,
September 2011.
Balance the swing 6
1
 See more from ABB Review

Additional pictures and videos

from this article are available in
the ABB Review app.

Absolut zero invasion

Noninvasive tempera- TILO MERLIN, ANDREAS DECKER, JRG GEBHARDT, CHRISTIAN JOHANSSON
The majority of measurements made in the process industry are of
ture measurement temperature and pressure. Around half of the temperature measure-

keeps things tight ments are used for monitoring purposes to secure product quality,
increase process efficiency and ensure plant safety. There are virtually
no chemical processes in which temperature measurement is not
required. Suitable conventional temperature measurement instruments
are widely available and the cost of these has decreased over time due
to high volumes, technological progress and competition. However,
these devices are mostly intrusive in nature. ABBs noninvasive, wireless
and energy-autonomous temperature sensor is now changing the
face of industrial temperature sensing, as has been illustrated in
a recent pilot installation in The Absolut Companys vodka distillery
in Sweden.

6 2 ABB review 4|15


T
he heyday of technological
advancement in temperature
measurement was in the 19th
century. Thomas Johann See-
beck (thermoelectric effect, 1820) and
Carl Wilhelm Siemens (platinum resis-
tance thermometer, 1871) were two of
the most prominent pioneers. ABBs
a ctivities in industrial temperature mea-
surements date back to 1881 when Wil-
helm Siebert melted platinum in his
familys cigar-rolling factory in Hanau,
Germany and mechanically worked the
material into wires. Though subjected to
continuous improvement, the main de-
sign with a measuring inset, protected
from the process medium by a strong
thermowell and a connection head
changed little over the years and many of
todays devices are based on these early
discoveries.
A game changer was introduced in 1978
by ABB (Degussa at that time) with the
implementation of an electronic trans-
mitter inside the connection head 1.
This allowed the measuring circuit and
the sensor element to be combined
Title picture
Noninvasive temperature measurement in industrial
processes brings a multitude of advantages.
However, how is it to be accomplished?
1 First transmitter for mounting inside the
sensor head (TR01)
even in harsh environments thus re-
ducing the need for long sensor wires,
which tend to be sensitive to electro-
magnetic interference that impacts sen-
sor accuracy and introduces signal
noise. This major innovation paved
the way for todays distributed smart
sensors that deliver standardized and
linearized measurement values to a
c entral control system [1].
Almost 40 years later, ABB has now
transformed the temperature sensor
once more, making it autonomous by
introducing wireless communication as
ABB has now transformed the
temperature sensor once
more, making it autonomous
by introducing wireless com-
munication as well as an en-
ergy-harvesting power supply.
well as an energy-harvesting power
supply that feeds the instrument from
the temperature gradient between the
process and its surroundings 2. ABB
has integrated these two technolo-
gies into the fully autonomous tempera-
ture instrument TSP300-W series. This
ABB innovation was a major milestone
in temperature sensing and an enabler
for wireless communication in process
autom ation.
One remaining shortcoming of industrial
temperature measurement devices,
however, was the thermowell.
2 First autonomous temperature instrument
TSP331-W
Thermowells
The thermowell protects the sensitive
measuring inset from the hot, chemi-
cally aggressive, abrasive or pressur-
ized flow inside pipes, boilers and
v essels 3. However, the thermowell
obstructs flow, leading to a pressure
drop. This phenomenon creates low-
pressure vortices downstream of the
thermowell 4. Vortex shedding causes
the thermowell to vibrate and if the vor-
tex shedding rate matches the eigenfre-
quency of the assembly, resonance
o ccurs and dynamic bending stress
i ncreases substantially.
In terms of plant
safety, thermow-
ells are the most
critical part of a
temperature instru-
ment: At high flow
speeds and pres-
sures, thermowells
can easily burst if
they are not de-
signed properly.
Accordingly, stan-
dards have been developed by organi-
zations such as ASME (American Soci-
ety for Mechanical Engineers) to assist
engineers in selecting suitable designs.
However, for applications where the
standard is not applicable, the engineer
is fully responsible for the proper design
of shape, length, diameter, coating and
interface type. Altogether, this leads to a
greatly enlarged number of variants
resulting in higher cost, stock levels and
logistic effort.
Absolut zero invasion 6 3
 3 Thermowells typically used for heavy-duty
oil and gas applications
Besides the safety
issues, a thermo
well is a nuisance
to the process: It
reduces the effec-
tive pipe cross
section and the
pressure drop it
causes may result
in higher pump
power consump-
tion.
6 4 ABB review 4|15
4 Alternating vortex shedding vortices occur at one side of the thermowell, then the other.
The effect is also seen in a flag waving in the wind.
5 TSP341-W noninvasive temperature measurement
Besides the safety issues, a thermowell
is a nuisance to the process: It reduces
the effective pipe cross-section and the
pressure drop it causes may result in
higher pump power consumption. It also
forms an obstacle to pipe cleaning.
Food, beverage and pharmaceutical
plants are reluctant to use thermowells
due to increased risk of contamination.
In brownfield installations, the plant has
to be shut down and the pipes emptied
prior to the installation of intrusive de-
vices. Thermowells also have a detri-
mental effect on the measurement itself
as they introduce a temperature drop
between medium and sensor, and laten-
cy. Last but not least, they are often the
most difficult and expensive part to in-
stall as they frequently require welding.
In 2010, in response to some these chal-
lenges, ASME updated its basic stan-
dard for thermowell calculation [2], result-
ing in more robust thermowells with
larger diameters, stronger materials and
shorter lengths. These changes merely
amplified the measurement disadvantag-
es mentioned above.
Noninvasive methods
Thermowells can be eliminated by using
a noninvasive temperature measure-
ment. Noninvasive instruments leave
pipes and vessels unaffected, with many
advantages:
The shells of pipes and vessels are
not penetrated.
There is no need to empty the pipe
for installation.
No welding is required on site and no
special permission for hazardous
areas is needed.
The possibility of contamination is
eliminated.
These advantages have considerable im-
plications: Measurement points are now
easy to install and can thus be used on a
temporary basis eg, during setup and
test of a new process or, if there are is-
sues in production, for root-cause analy-
sis. As soon as a satisfactory situation
has been arrived at, the number of mea-
surement locations can be reduced to an
economically and technically appropriate
long-term value.
6 Finite-element result for the temperature field in a typical setup before optimization
6a Entire device
Why have noninvasive methods not
been used before?
There are good reasons why noninvasive
technology has not been used in the
majority of temperature measurement
installations so far.
The easiest way to obtain a noninvasive
temperature measurement would be to
attach an existing instrument to the sur-
face of a pipe or vessel instead of intro-
ducing it into a thermowell. However, the
temperature sensor is then further away
from the process medium so that the
response time would be impaired, and
ambient conditions would have a bigger
influence on the measurement.
A good noninvasive temperature instru-
ment, therefore, has to have an appropri-
ate design of the thermal pathway from
the process to the sensor, which includes
all materials and all interfaces through
which the heat has to be transferred. It
would also be beneficial if the existing
(thermowell design) instrument could be
adapted to fit as this would reduce the
development effort significantly, keep the
Sensor
element
Surface
6b Interface to target surface
number of variants and additional parts
low, and make it easy for the customer Thermowells can
in terms of familiarity and certification
retention. be eliminated by
A challenging case
using a noninvasive
Two autonomous [3], noninvasive tem- temperature mea-
perature instruments were given to The
Absolut Company in Nbbelv, Sweden surement. Nonin-
so they could explore the devices capa-
bilities without having to interrupt the
vasive instruments
processes in their vodka distillery 5. To leave pipes and
keep the effort on ABBs side low, adapt-
ers were manufactured to mount existing vessels unaffected.
(thermowell design) instruments with ad-
justed inset length to the pipes.
The sensors were easy to integrate into
the existing ABB Extended Automation
System 800xA. The System 800xA auto-
mation platform has a built-in field device
management system. This allows users
to have one single system that covers
operations, engineering and field device
management including functions such
as device configuration and condition
monitoring. Such an approach has sig-
nificant advantages reduced engineer-
Absolut zero invasion 6 5
 7 Systematic search for relevant design parameters

Path for T-profile

80

76

Temperature (C)
72

68

0 5 10 15 20

Y distance along path (mm)

7a The temperature field is plotted along a path through the device 7b Sample temperature profiles across the device for various design
during measurement. iterations

ing hours, for example since the com- parameters were close to those of an in-
The sensors were plete solution, including field device vasive temperature instrument.
configuration, is engineered in one sys-
easy to integrate tem with one common engineering work- Modeling

into the existing flow. Another advantage is speedy com-

missioning as complete signal checkout
Physical understanding of the measure-
ment point and subsequent modeling
ABB Extended can be done by one single person from and simulation of the thermal situation
one screen. were important for arriving at a good
Automation System design. Finite-element simulations and

800xA, which has After installation, the automation engi-

neers from The Absolut reported that the
a built-in field energy harvesting functionality, as well
as the wireless communication, were
device manage- working well. However, measurement
extensive automatic model-tuning [4] were
used to identify the relevant design
parameters 6. Geometry, materials and
interface properties could be effectively
represented in the models 7.

ment system. accuracy and the response time of the

instruments failed to meet their expecta- Furthermore, it was important to under-
tions. stand how the sensor temperature can
be affected by details of the measure-
Improving the measurement ment situation eg, by different insula-
A series of measurements at The Absolut tion types or different flow conditions. An
revealed a detailed picture of the thermal understanding of these influences was
situation at and around the instrument generated via conjugate heat transfer
as well as at the
adapter that con-
nects the instru- Finite-element simulations
ment to the pipe.
After determining the were used to identify the
cause of the mea-
surement issues,
relevant design parameters.
the design of the
adapter was improved and tested. The calculations in which a hot or cold fluid is
measurement inset and thermal inter- modeled flowing along a pipe where the
face materials were also modified. In the instrument is mounted and/or where
final configuration, measurement error some axially homogeneous or spatially
was reduced to approximately 1K (from varying insulation is applied to the pipe.
several degrees Kelvin). At the same Typical temperature fields generated by
time, response time was decreased by these calculations are shown in 8.
75 percent, such that both performance

6 6 ABB review 4|15

8 Conjugate heat transfer has been analyzed in cosimulations of coupled finite-element and fluid-dynamic calculations.
Vfluid
8a Temperature field distortion in the case of a locally insulated 8b Temperature field in the structure and velocity field in the fluid for a
fluid-conveying pipe
Easy installation
The newly designed adapter can be
mounted onto a wide variety of pipe
d iameters; only the length of the clamps
(simple steel bands) has to be adjusted,
thus greatly reducing the number of vari-
ants and increasing flexibility. The de-
signs lower complexity requires less
machining and allows simpler installa-
tion, which is especially beneficial in
hard-to-reach locations. The installation
does not require calibration or extensive
parameterization.
Following this optimization, The Absolut
Company installed four TSP341-W units
and the predicted improvements in mea-
surement accuracy and response time
were confirmed.
A new flexibility
Noninvasive, wireless and energy-auton-
omous temperature measurement ush-
ers in a new era of flexibility. With tem-
perature measurement and the job of
engineering it into a System 800xA DCS
now made so easy, applications that add
a high value but traditionally have been
difficult to justify from a cost perspective
are now well within reach. One good
example of such an application is short-
term instrumentation of processes dur-
ing optimization and continuous im-
provement exercises or energy efficiency
initiatives. Another example is to supply
ABBs System 800xA heat exchanger
a sset monitor (HXAM) a condition mon-
itoring tool that identifies heat exchanger
typical measurement situation
performance changes and operational
degradation with the temperature inputs
it requires to guarantee more energy-effi-
cient operation and reduced mainte-
nance costs. In large facilities, improved
heat exchanger performance delivers
substantial energy savings.
Only applications with extreme spatial or Tilo Merlin
temporal gradients pose a challenge to ABB Process Automation,
the complete closure of the gap between Measurement and Analytics
the performances of the noninvasive Frankfurt, Germany
sensor and its invasive counterpart tilo.merlin@de.abb.com
both in terms of measurement accuracy
as well as response time. A next logical Andreas Decker
step, once the thermomechanical op- Jrg Gebhardt
tions are exhausted, is to use advanced ABB Corporate Research
model-based algorithms that can correct Ladenburg, Germany
the measurement. andreas.decker@de.abb.com
joerg.gebhardt@de.abb.com
Christian Johansson
ABB Process Automation, Control Technologies
Malm, Sweden
christian.johansson@se.abb.com
References
[1] Industrial temperature measurement, basics
and practice, Handbook for customers,
ABBAutomation Products, (2008).
[2] Thermowells, ASME standard no. PTC 19.3
TW-2010.
[3] M. Ulrich et al., Autonomous wireless sensors
for process instrumentation, in GMA / ITG
Fachtagung: Sensoren und Messsysteme 2012,
Nuremberg.
[4] J. Gebhardt and K. Knig, Model-based
development for an energy-autonomous
temperature sensor, in VDI/VDE Mechatronik
2013, Aachen, Germany, 2013, pp. 177181.
Absolut zero invasion 6 7
 Optimizing
energy flows
Improving energy efficiency in steelmaking by modeling and
managing energy flows with ABBs cpmPlus Energy Manager

JOUKO KARJALAINEN, TONI KYMLINEN, JUHA MNTYSAARI, electricity, steam, by-product gases and imported fuels.
TUA KAUPPALA Energy constitutes about 20 percent of the Understanding this system and controlling it in an optimal
total production cost in an integrated steel mill. Energy way is the key to improving energy efficiency and competi-
efficiency is, therefore, crucial for profitability. Within the mill, tiveness while reducing environmental impact.
energy is distributed through complex networks carrying

6 8 ABB review 4|15

 1 Gas and energy optimization

Natural gas External gas Power

market users market

Minimize costs

Blast furnace Gas

Boiler 1 Boiler 2
holder

Steam header
Gas
Coke oven
holder
Gas
mixing Turbines
station
Steam

Basic oxygen Gas

furnace holder Integrated steel mill
processes
Power

plant is able to predict this electrical

power demand accurately, it can be pur- The challenge is to
chased at a lower price.
optimize the plants
entire energy sys-

M
aking iron and steel requires
complex gas networks that
can reliably supply a wide
variety of gas grades and
blends to a large number of process
consumers 1. Due to the critical nature
of production scheduling, these gases
must always be available when needed.
This necessitates the use of gas storage
holders to accommodate temporary
shortages or surpluses.
When gas demand exceeds supply, sup-
plementary fuel must be bought at vola-
tile and often higher market prices.
When supply exceeds demand, excess
gas must be flared off from the holders.
This wastes energy and increases the
plants carbon footprint.
In addition to process needs, many mills
have power plants in which the boilers are
fired with a combination of fuels, including
by-product gases from blast, coke and
basic oxygen furnaces. This energy is bal-
anced with electricity purchased from the
grid to meet the total plant demand. If the
Title picture
With intricate flows of electricity, steam and gas,
the energy topography of a steel mill is complex.
How does ABBs cpmPlus Energy Manager help
master the complexity of the energy flows and
improve energy efficiency?
The challenge is therefore to optimize the
plants entire energy system so that the
needs of all consumers can be met at
minimum cost. This results in reduced
flaring, reduced purchases of electricity
and supplementary fuels, and lower pric-
es for the electricity that does have to be
purchased.
Systematic solution
Since the different forms of energy gen-
erated and consumed at a steel mill are
highly interdependent, it makes sense to
optimize them as a whole. This can pro-
duce the greatest benefit for the mills
competitiveness in terms of energy costs
and carbon emissions, as well as mini-
mizing the penalties for underestimating
or overestimating demand.
ABBs cpmPlus Energy Manager (EM) is
a software solution that models and visu-
alizes the entire plants energy flows. It
calculates optimum schedules for by-
product gas distribution to process con-
sumers and power plant boilers. This
optimization ensures 100 percent by-
product gas availability while minimizing
wasteful flaring.
Additionally, cpmPlus EM accommo-
dates plant processes such as the gas
network and mixing station configuration
as well as financial considerations, in-
cluding boiler start-up costs. It can help
tem so that the
needs of all con-
sumers can be met
at minimum cost.
maintain optimal energy efficiency de-
spite unplanned production changes or
energy price volatility. The system can
even help optimize the export of electric-
ity or by-product gases when this is fea-
sible and economical.
Efficient modeling tools
In cpmPlus EM, the modeling principle is
known as the economic flow network
(EFN). The EFN provides tools that
graphically configure the entire energy
system model as an interconnected flow
network, where each flow is represented
with an allowed range of values and a
unit price. Logical constraints can be
specified for the various process condi-
tions. Based on the configured model,
the optimization problems are automati-
cally created and solved by a mixed-inte-
ger linear programming (MILP) solver.
Energy efficiency dashboards
Another feature of cpmPlus EM is that it
provides dashboards to display energy

Optimizing energy flows 6 9

 2 Boiler fuel usage control view 3 Gas utilization overview

Since the different performance, from the level of individual

production processes to the entire
forms of energy plant 23. This allows energy perfor-
mance indicators to be monitored and
generated and targeted, and enables analysis and re-
itself a more ambitious goal: to optimize
its energy procurement, steam yield and
consumption of by-product gases and
thereby optimize the energy consumption
of the entire mills steelmaking process.

consumed at a porting to verify the performance im-

steel mill are highly
interdependent, it
makes sense to
optimize them as
provements that result from the imple-
mented activities and projects.
Dedicated dashboards for each produc-
tion station allow operators to act on de-
viations from the optimum that are often
hidden behind different energy and ma-
terial flows. Operators can also validate
ArcelorMittals own research center had
conducted preliminary studies and devel-
oped models to manage energy and by-
product gases at the mill. They had clear
requirements and expectations for the
modeling process, but they still needed
to find the right industrial supplier.

a whole. the planned schedules for gas, electricity
and steam demand, as well as the gen-
eration of by-product gas compared with
the days production schedule.
At the same time, site power plant opera-
tors can use optimization results to select
the best combination of on-site power
generation and external supply. This al-
lows energy efficiency to be managed as
a key performance indicator, alongside
production quality and throughput.
The power plant and process schedules
calculated by cpmPlus EM can also be
implemented automatically by sending
scheduled set points to the advanced
process control level, which then coordi-
nates the power plant control systems to
run the processes in an optimal way.
Case study at ArcelorMittal steel mill
Steel mills utilize production planning
systems to enable them to manufacture
to order. In ArcelorMittals Fos-sur-Mer
mill, in France, such a system allowed the
company to plan production and predict
energy consumption in the production
planning process. However, the mill set
Successful prototype model
ArcelorMittal chose to work with ABB
because there was no other supplier with
an equivalent industrial-scale product.
The project was demanding, but the
ABB team approached it in a systematic
way by performing modeling on the basis
of ArcelorMittals preliminary investiga-
tions, ie, by carrying out a case study. As
soon as ABB had completed its proto-
type modeling, the work was submitted
to ArcelorMittal for evaluation and was
approved.
Insights and innovations
The ultimate aim of the project was to
model the mills entire energy procure-
ment and production processes. As
mentioned above, the steel manufactur-
ing process involves both the production
and consumption of gases. A mills ex-
ternal energy procurement is usually re-
garded as including only electricity and
steam, but this time the modeling pro-
cess also covered the management of
by-product gases and gases sourced
from elsewhere. The ABB system indi-
cates how much gas needs to be pur-
chased from outside sources.

7 0 ABB review 4|15

4 Electricity tie line monitoring view
The system is in continuous use in an in-
dustrial environment and therefore faces
special challenges. Finding high-quality
optimal solutions as input data con-
stantly changes reliably and quickly
enough was something that needed to
be given extra attention.
In ArcelorMittals case, the optimization
time horizon must be continuously calcu-
lated. In other words, the optimal pro-
duction plan must be repeatedly resolved
on an ongoing basis. In the context of
optimization modeling this is a major
challenge; to make it possible ABB had
to develop completely new techniques
and solutions.
Technical solutions for industrial-
scale optimization
The system supplied to the ArcelorMittal
mill incorporates three technical solu-
tions that support fast and high-quality
optimization with varying input data.
These are: two-level optimization with
base model inheritance to different time
levels; the sliding time horizon approach;
and the use of multiple search parame-
ters for solvers.
Two-level optimization using base model
inheritance
To make it possible for the whole power
generation process to be continuously
optimized, it was initially necessary to
produce state decisions for the major
equipment in the production plant by
projecting a crude resolution into the fu-
ture. Based on these, it was then possi-
ble to calculate the use of energy stor-
age equipment like boilers or gas holders
with a finer resolution.
5 Department electricity forecast view
This was done using modeling in two dif-
ferent time resolutions: one of 2 hours,
ABBs cpmPlus
in which the optimal states of key equip-
ment such as boilers were fixed, and one
Energy Manager
of 30 minutes, in which these states are models and visual-
taken as given and fine-granularity opti-
mization of continuous operation is per- izes the entire
formed. The models used in both time
resolutions are inherited from a base
plants energy
model containing common structures flows. It calculates
and constraints.
optimum schedules
Because electricity is billed in periods of
30 minutes in France, the customer re-
for by-product gas
quired the system to update twice during distribution to pro-
that time, ie, approximately every 15 min-
utes. At this 30-minute level it is possible cess consumers
to make major state decisions and resolve
utilization two days ahead. The two-day
and power plant
plan provides optimized data for all exter- boilers.
nal energy procurement, electricity and
gas forecasts, and gas holder levels. The
system also enables forward monitoring
of the weekly plan.
Sliding time horizon
The second technique incorporated into
the system supplied to the ArcelorMittal
mill was the sliding time horizon ap-
proach. When data that updates every
half hour is used to predict two days
ahead, this forecast cannot be done in a
single step that incorporates the whole
time horizon in the model. This would be
too resource-intensive and time-con-
suming for the optimization. The sliding
time horizon approach looks ahead over
a shorter time slot and provides an initial
solution for that. Then this solution is en-
tered into the system, the slot is moved
forward by one period and the process is
repeated. This is done until the whole
two-day time slot has been processed.
Optimizing energy flows 7 1
 6 Forecast quality monitoring view
The cpmPlus EM
accommodates
plant processes
such as the gas
network and
mixing station
c onfiguration, as
well as financial
considerations,
including boiler
start-up costs.

The time horizon therefore moves for-
ward one period at a time. This maintains
the continuity of results over time, allow-
ing for more stable solutions. If a whole
24-hour period is optimized at one time,
the continuity from one day to the next is
lost because the determining factor is
the 24-hour time slot and the optimi
zation model cannot see far enough
beyond that.
Broad selection of solver search parameters
The third technique made it possible to
achieve a sufficiently fast numerical solu-
tion with varying input data. Most of the
time, the system can quickly solve opti-
mization problems with a given selection
of parameters. However, there are occa-
sions when solution times can be long.
The ABB team came up with the idea of
allowing the system to send the prob-
lems simultaneously to two different
solvers with different search parameters.
Then it is simply matter of waiting to see
which solver finds a solution first and
cancelling the slower one. This competi-
tive solving is constantly repeated around
the clock, in line with the requirements of
an industrial-scale system.
cpmPlus EM objectively searches for
the most economical solution
cpmPlus EM shows the operator the
most economical way of running the mill.
It can also identify completely new oper-
ating practices 46. This was the case
with the turbines at Fos-sur-Mer: The
ABB system suggested an operating
practice that differed significantly from
what had been done before. This new
method was adopted at the mill.
Optimizing all energy procurement pro-
cesses has brought significant savings in
raw materials and costs at ArcelorMittals
Fos-sur-Mer mill, boosting the productiv-
ity of the steel manufacturing process. At
present, the most clearly visible result of
this is an improvement of some 15 per-
cent in the accuracy of the mills external
electricity procurement forecasts. This
translates into savings of around 15,000
euros ($17,000) per month (averaged
over 2013).
Jouko Karjalainen
Toni Kymlinen
Juha Mntysaari
Tua Kauppala
ABB Process Automation, Process Industries
Helsinki, Finland
jouko.karjalainen@fi.abb.com
toni.kymalainen@fi.abb.com
juha.mantysaari@fi.abb.com
tua.kauppala@fi.abb.com

7 2 ABB review 4|15

Editorial Board

Claes Rytoft
Chief Technology Officer
Group R&D and Technology

Ron Popper
Head of Corporate Responsibility

Christoph Sieder
Head of Corporate Communications

Ernst Scholtz
R&D Strategy Manager
Group R&D and Technology

Andreas Moglestue
Chief Editor, ABB Review
andreas.moglestue@ch.abb.com

Publisher
ABB Review is published by ABB Group R&D and
Technology.
Preview 1 |16

Innovation
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abb.review@ch.abb.com Necessity is the mother of invention, the saying goes. In which case,
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Top innovations 6 ABB is at the forefront of photovoltaics 6

Building intelligence 22 Maintaining the balance of the grid 20
Automation simulator 32 Automation for solar 38
Managing the wind 48 The corporate Solar pumps in irrigation 50 The corporate
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Innovation Solar power

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ABBs top innovations for 2015 ABB is at the forefront of photovoltaics
11 Information exploitation 10 A place in the sun
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16 Emulation to the rescue the future of solar
The virtual emulator framework simplifies 16 A soaring vision
process control system testing Propelled only by the suns energy, the airplane
22 Building better Solar Impulse 2 demonstrates the promise of
Technology to make buildings intelligent alternatives to fossil fuel
27 A service tool grows up 20 Balancing act
ABBs ServicePort is now delivering Microgrid optimization control stabilizes
advanced services to a wide range of production in solar and hybrid microgrids
customers worldwide 27 A bright future
32 An expanded role Energy storage transforms the solar paradigm
ABBs 800xA Simulator is now being used 33 Evolving solutions
throughout the complete life cycle of an Technology trends and design targets for
automation system next-generation photovoltaic inverters
37 Switching gears 38 Life-cycle automation and services
Moving to smart switchgear for primary and A holistic approach to photovoltaic plant
secondary substations automation and operation and maintenance
42 Smoothing the peak 43 Putting it all together
Integrated optimization algorithms Integrating distributed renewable
save heating costs energies into the grid
48 Wind window 50 A growing need
An effective user interface for Affordable irrigation with
wind farm operations ABBs solar pump drive
53 Caps unlocked 53 Transforming revenue
ABBs new QCap cylindrical capacitor improves ABBs technology cuts transformer losses
power factors 58 Next-generation components
60 ABB in brief Advanced low-voltage components for next-
63 From the ASEA archives generation 1,500V DC utility-scale PV solar
Looking back on more than a century in print applications
60 Self generation
Photovoltaics play an essential role in ABBs
Active Site t echnology
64 Steady as a rock
Two PCS100 AVC products now designed for
different applications
68 Safe and powerful
Dry transformers for subtransmission

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Robust production Integrating renewables

W W

ABB 3 | 15 ABB 4 | 15

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YuMi: the dual-arm robot 7 Advanced control for wind turbines 18

Transformer health 12 Transmission technologies for integration 29
Doing more with an arc furnace 25 Increasing grid capacity 34
Oscillations under control 52 The corporate Meeting grid code requirements 50 The corporate
technical journal technical journal

Integrating
renewables

Robust production

7 YuMi 6 Capital questions

Introducing the worlds first truly collaborative Why the future of renewables depends on the
dual-arm robot that will radically change costs of capital and other questions around
assembly lines renewable energys
12 Transformer health in the real world 13 Symphony orchestrates
Maximizing transformer reliability on a budget Symphony Plus automation delivers flexibility and
18 Dicing the load optimization for conventional and renewable
Flexible production saves energy costs power plants
25 Causing a stir 18 Changing wind
ArcSave increases productivity and New technologies for wind-turbine and
lowers cost in electric arc furnaces wind-farm control
32 A motors best friend 24 Virtual reality
Narrowing the gap between softstarters and drives ABBs central control and optimization system
35 Medium-voltage, premium performance enables cost-effective virtual power plant
ABBs PCS100 medium-voltage UPS operation
39 Looking into Windows 29 Potential improvement
Windows XP has reached the end of its life Transmission technologies to support the
what are the implications? integration of renewable energy
42 PASS steps up 34 Regulating lifes ups and downs
ABB hybrid switchgear technology Increasing grid capacity to connect renewable
is now available for 420kV energies
48 Intelligent living 43 Energy storage
Making home automation easier than ever with The benefits beyond the integration of renewables
ABB-free@home 50 Consulting the grid code
50 Wire ahead ABB and its power consulting experts are helping
Pluggable connections and prewiring solutions networks integrate renewables and meet grid
boost p roductivity code requirements
52 Taming the power 57 Balance the swing
Advanced control is achieving high availability and Real-time monitoring and elimination of inter-area
performance by mastering complex instability oscillations in large interconnected power systems
55 Beating oscillations 62 Absolut zero invasion
Advanced active damping methods in medium- Noninvasive temperature measurement keeps
voltage power converters control electrical things tight
oscillations 68 Optimizing energy flows
60 $300,000 research award Improving energy efficiency in steelmaking
ABB creates an award to honor and by modeling and managing energy flows with
support outstanding postdoctoral research ABBs cpmPlus Energy Manager
62 Your opinion matters 74 2015 index
How readers can help make The year at a glance
ABB review even better

Index 7 5
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Connect renewable power to the grid?

Renewable energy plays a vital role when it comes to balancing the need for more power
with minimum environmental impact. Addressing challenges like intermittent supply and
often connecting remote locations, ABB has integrated more than 200 gigawatts of hydro,
wind and solar power into the grid enough electricity to serve the needs of nearly 70
million people. We offer a range of products, systems and services for power generation,
transmission and distribution to help increase power capacity, enhance grid reliability,
improve energy efficiency and lower environmental impact. With a 125 year heritage of

Naturally.
technology innovation ABB continues to shape the grid of the future. For more information
please visit us at http://www.abb.com